Leftover Chicken Curry Pilau

Put the rice in a bowl and wash with several rounds of cold water, gently swirling it with your hands until the water runs somewhat clear. Once washed, cover with fresh water and leave to soak for 15 mins. Meanwhile, thinly slice the onion and set aside.

Heat the ghee or butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, peppercorns, cloves and cardamom. After 1 min, add the onion with a pinch of salt and fry for 8-10 mins until deep brown.

Add the leftover chicken curry and stock and bring to a simmer. You will need about 500ml liquid for the rice to cook properly. The liquid you cook your rice in needs to be fairly thin, and not too rich or creamy. So only add enough stock to run the curry down to about 500-600ml. If you have a very thick curry, save some of the sauce to serve with your rice, and use stock to water the rest down to cook your rice. Season to taste.

Drain the rice and discard the water.

Add the rice to the simmering curry and increase the heat to high. Bring everything to the boil and cook for about 3 mins until the water level drops to the level of the rice. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid or foil and cook for 20-25 mins. Turn off the heat and rest the pilau for 5 mins before removing the lid and gently fluffing up the rice with a fork.

Chop the ginger into matchsticks. Finish the pilau with the chopped mint, coriander and ginger matchsticks. Serve immediately with any warmed-up leftover sauce from the curry.