Spicy rice updated: cardomom included.

That's the simple name for what the recipe specifies as lentils and rice with fried onions. Doesn't sound great, tastes amazing. Even the children eat it. Its simplicity and ease of preparation means it is on high rotation here, like a Rolling Stones hit on 3XY in 1967.

Lentils and rice with fried onions.

You'll need:

One cup each of red lentils and long grain rice, two large onions, 2½ tablespoons ghee, 2 teaspoons salt, ¼ teaspoon each ground black pepper, ground cloves, ground cardomom, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg and 3½ cups boiling water.

Wash the lentils, removing any that float. Drain thoroughly.

Melt ghee in a heavy pan that has a lid. Slice onions into thin rounds and fry until golden brown, stirring. Remove half the onions and set aside.

Add lentils and rice to pan and stir for a minute or two to coat in the hot ghee.

Add water and spices, stir well, bring to boil, add the salt, stir again. Turn down to a very low simmer, place the lid on the pan.

Resist the temptation to lift the lid for twenty minutes exactly. After that time, the just-softened lentils give the dish a creamy unctuousness that takes an otherwise ordinary rice dish into another dimension.

Serve immediately topped with the extra fried onions, yogurt and coriander chutney.

*

That omitted cardamom - now included - makes the dish. Apologies.