Rice Pilaf
Instructions
The first thing to do is to rinse the rice in cold water. Then drain the rice and let it dry a bit. In a pot over a low heat melt the butter and then add the diced onion and let it soften just until it becomes transparent.
After about 15 minutes, the onion is cooked and transparent. Then add the cinnamon, the cloves and lastly the rice. Turn up the heat a bit and fry the rice well. Be sure to mix well to coat every grain. Then you can add the broth to cover the rice. Now, just cover the pot with a tightly fitting cover, and leave the rice to cook for about 18 to 20 minutes. At this point the rice doesn't need to be moved or stirred. Just check it after about 15 minutes to be sure it's not completely dry to prevent the rice from scorching but other than that simply leave it to cook. You can also cook the rice in the oven. Do everything the same, but after you add the broth, cover the pot and put it in an oven at 350F for about 18-20 minutes according to the type of rice you're using.
After about 18 minutes, our rice pilaf is cooked. This is only a base pilaf recipe -- there are tons of variations, for example using different spices such as saffron, turmeric, cardamom, etcetera. This of course will change the flavour but can also colour the rice a deep golden yellow depending on the spices you use. It's useful to know exactly how much liquid you should use for different quantities of rice: In general, you'll need to measure your rice in a measuring cup and check the volume. The liquid needed will be double the volume of the rice plus 1/5th. And now you're a pilaf expert!
