Recipes:Fragrant herb & almond pilaf

November is traditionally the month for almonds but make this with blanched almonds for an all year round winner

• 50g butter , plus a little extra
• 2 large onions , halved and sliced
• 2 garlic cloves , sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 cloves
• 5 cardamom pods , bruised
• 300g basmati rice
• vegetable stock , cube or concentrate, made upto 550ml
• oil , for deep frying
• 4 tbsp blanched almonds
• parsley , chive and coriander chopped to make 1tbsp of each

  

  1. Melt 50g butter in a large, wide pan and cook half the onions and all the garlic until soft and golden. Add the spices and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the basmati and stir until coated. Pour in the stock. Turn the heat down to a simmer then cover and cook for 10-15 minutes until all the stock has been absorbed and the rice is tender.
  2. Meanwhile, heat a 2cm-layer of oil in a pan and deep-fry the remaining onions until crisp. Fry the almonds in a little more butter until golden. Stir the herbs into the pilaf and scatter the almonds and crisp onions over.

  Per serving

  506 kcalories, protein 9,7g, carbohydrate 73,9g, fat 21,1 g, saturated fat 8,1g, fibre 3,6g, salt 0,4 g