This dish is quick and easy because you just put all the ingredients into the pot at once and leave it to cook in the microwave. A touch of turmeric (haldi) adds a vibrant colour, and you can omit this if you prefer white rice.

There is salt in this recipe, but omit salt if you are cooking for babies under 12 months – you can always add it later for the adults. It is better if you can omit the salt altogether but if not, this amount is likely to be far less than your usual recipe. The dish uses cheap vegetables like cabbage and carrots which are available all year round, though you can use any seasonal vegetables instead. This amount of rice should be enough for 4 people, as a main meal - If you want to cook for more or fewer people, remember to use just under one-and-a-half times the quantity of water compared to the rice (so for one mug of rice, you would use just less than one-and-a-half mugs of water).

Serves:

4

• 1½ mugs (350g) rice (basmati, broken or other)
• Just less than 2¼ mugs (700ml) cold water
• 4 cloves
• 6 whole black peppercorns
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 teaspoons crushed garlic
• 2 teaspoons crushed ginger
• ½ to 1 teaspoon freshly chopped green chilies (around 2 green chillies), as desired
• Pinch of turmeric (haldi)
• 3 carrots, peeled & diced
• 300g (about half a small) white cabbage, shredded
• 2 red peppers, chopped
• 2 green peppers, chopped
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1-2 teaspoons salt (or add this later if serving babies less than 12 months)
• Freshly chopped coriander leaves, sweet chilli sauce (optional)

1. Wash the rice, then soak it in a bowl of cold water while you prepare the other ingredients.
2. Drain the rice and put it into a microwavable dish with a lid. (If you do not want to use the microwave, you can cook this in a pan on the cooker.)
3. Add the water and all other ingredients, stir gently to combine the ingredients.
4. Cover and cook place in the microwave for about 18 minutes. Stir lightly at around 15 minutes to help the flavours to mix.
5. Check that the rice is cooked, and serve topped with coriander leaves and a drizzle of sweet chilli sauce (if using). Add salt to the adults' portions if salt was not used in the cooking.