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minute.
    Now add the rice along with the salt and sugar.
    Stir well.
    Switch off the heat source and put all the ingredients into
the rice cooker.
    Add water.
    Switch on the rice cooker and the let the rice cook. The
rice cooker will switch off on its own when the rice is cooked.
    Prep time: 20 minutes
    Cooking time: 12 minutes with a pressure cooker; 17-22
minutes with a deep pan; and as indicated in the rice cooker manual
    Total time: 32 minutes with a pressure cooker; 37-42 minutes
with a deep pan
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Dry Fruits Pulao
    This is a rich pilaf dish, fit enough to be on a grand
Moghul’s table.
    Ingredients
    Long grain rice (Basmati)-1 cup
    Water-2 cups
    Black Cumin seeds ( Shahi Jeera )-1/2 teaspoon
    Green Cardamom ( Chhoti elaichi )-2
    Few strands of saffron dissolved in ¼ cup milk
    Raisins-2 tablespoon
    Blanched almonds-3 tablespoon
    (To blanch almonds, immerse them in half a cup of hot
water for 30 minutes. Remove the skin thereafter.)
    Roasted Cashew nuts-3 tablespoon
    (The method to roast the cashew nuts: in a small pan, add
about a tablespoon of cooking oil. Put the pan on your heat source. When the
oil heats up, add the cashew nuts and stir till they turn golden. Immediately
remove the cashew nuts to a plate. Remember if you leave the cashew nuts in the
pan, the hot oil will keep roasting the cashew nuts and burn them.)
    Clarified butter ( Ghee )-1 tablespoon
    Salt to taste
    Sugar-1/4 teaspoon
    Method
    Wash the rice well ( in a vessel 3-4 times, but don’t rub
it lest the grains break ) and let it naturally “dry”, on an inclined plate,
for 15-20 minutes. This helps enhance the aroma.
    If using a pressure cooker:
    In a pressure cooker, add the clarified butter and place it
on your heat source.
    When the butter warms up, add the cumin seeds along with the
green cardamom.
    As soon as it starts giving a nice aroma, in less than a
minute, add the rice along with the salt and sugar. Do please make sure that
the spices brown and not burn, otherwise your dish will be totally spoiled.
    Add the raisins and the blanched almonds.
    Stir well.
    Add the water and saffron dissolved in milk.
    Close the lid of the pressure cooker BUT remove the weight.
    When steam starts escaping from the vent (don’t worry, you
will hear that typical sound), reduce the heat to minimum. In other words, if
cooking on gas, turn the knob to SIM(mer).
    Wait for 10 minutes and switch off the gas. Take out the
rice.
    Your hot fluffy Dry Fruits Pulao is ready.
    Before serving, sprinkle the roasted cashew nuts on the
pulao and enjoy.
    If using a thick bottomed pan/vessel
    In a pan/vessel, add the clarified butter and place on fire.
    When the butter warms up, add the cumin seeds along with the
cardamom.
    As soon as it starts giving a nice aroma in less than a
minute, add the rice along with the salt and sugar. Do please make sure that
the spices brown and not burn, otherwise your dish will be totally spoiled.
    Add the raisins and the blanched almonds.
    Stir well.
    Add the water.
    Cover the pan/vessel with a well-fitting lid.
    Reduce the heat to minimum. In other words, if cooking on
gas, turn the knob to SIM (mer). Let the rice cook for 15-20 minutes.
    Switch off the heat source and let the rice remain in the
vessel for another 5 minutes. Take out the rice.
    Your hot fluffy Dry Fruits pulao is ready.
    Before serving, sprinkle the roasted cashew nuts on the
pulao and enjoy.
    If using a rice cooker
    In a pan/vessel, add the clarified butter and place on fire.
    When the butter warms up, add the cumin seeds along with the
cardamom.
    As soon as it starts giving a nice aroma in less than a
minute, add the rice along with the salt and sugar. Do please make sure that
the spices brown and not burn, otherwise your dish will be totally spoiled.
    Add the raisins and the blanched almonds.
    Stir well.
    Switch off the heat source and put all the ingredients into
the rice cooker.
    Add the water.
    Switch on the rice cooker and the let the rice cook.