The fresh flavour of jasmine rice makes a beautiful pilaf that is divine served with quick-cooked prawns.

Ingredients

• 8 basil leaves
• 1 tblsp freshly minced ginger
• 3 tblsp sesame seeds
• 1 tsp salt (flaky sea salt is nice here)
• 2 tblsp oil
• 24 green prawns, shelled
• 2 tblsp liquid honey
• 2 tblsp butter
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tblsp finely minced fresh ginger
• 2 tblsp chopped coriander roots (or use leaves)
• 4 lemon leaves (washed from your lemon tree)
• 2 red chillies, halved, de-seeded and chopped
• 1½ cups jasmine rice (or use long grain)
• 1½ cups water
• 2 tsp salt

Method

1. Finely chop the basil leaves and mix together with the ginger, sesame seeds, salt and oil. Add the prawns and toss well. Cover and set aside in the refrigerator for at least one hour to marinate .
2. Melt the butter in a large, lidded saucepan and cook the onion and ginger over a moderately low heat for about 10 minutes until soft but not coloured.
3. Add the coriander, crushed lemon leaves, chillies and rice and toss well in the butter.
4. Add the water and salt. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook 15 minutes. Stand for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
5. Heat a frying pan and cook the prawns over a moderate heat until they have turned pink. Add the honey and toss quickly.
6. Pile the pilaf on plates or in a bowl and top with the prawns. Serve Indonesian soy sauce (Ketjap Manis) to accompany.

Cooks Tips

Cooking pilaf is one of the easiest ways to prepare the perfect rice dish. As all the rice grains are different, you will find that the amount of water you need varies. It is best to use equal quantities of rice and water for white long grain rice.