Ingredients

• 500 gm. Basmati

• 4 eggs

• 2 tbsp ghee or clarified butter

• Whole garam masala; 2 cardamoms, 5-6 cm. cinnamon or cassia stick, a couple of bay leaves 4-5 black peppercorns, 3-4 cloves

• 1 mace flower

• 1 tsp. black cumin seeds. Use ordinary cumin, if you don't have this.

• 1 large onion, thinly sliced

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. each of ginger and garlic, grated or paste

• A handful of mint leaves

• 1 green chilli, sliced lengthways

• 4 tbsp. thick, natural yoghurt

• 1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg

Instructions

1. Measure, wash and soak rice for 10-30 minutes.

2. Boil eggs, cool, peel and slice lengthways into 4 each. Keep aside.

3. Heat ghee in a pan. Add whole garam masala ingredients, cumin seeds and mace flower.

4. After about 10 seconds, add sliced onions. Fry until golden to darkish brown.

5. Add salt, ginger, garlic, mint leaves, chilli slices, yoghurt, nutmeg, and turmeric. Stir-fry until ghee appears to separate a bit.

6. Add rice, stir it in very gently. This coats the rice grains with ghee.

7. Add enough boiling hot water to have it about two finger width above the rice. Bring it to boil, turn heat down and cook covered until rice is done. If you have a rice cooker, place it in the rice cooker before adding water and then add measured amount of water.

8. Before serving, top the rice with sliced eggs. Serve hot.

Notes

• You can fry an extra sliced onion to deep brown, sort of caramelised, and use that as a garnish before serving.

• You can add a few soaked saffron strand to rice along with water.