Jewelled rice

Beautiful steaming rice, studded with deep pink and green. A gorgeous combination of textures and flavours, and a great accompaniment to spiced chicken shawarma or aubergine.

• 100g whole blanched almonds
• Bunch of spring onions, trimmed and left whole
• 300g basmati rice
• Cinnamon stick
• Salt
• 1 lime, zest and juice
• 100g pomegranate seeds
• 2 preserved lemons, skins chopped finely
• Bunch parsley, finely chopped
• Small bunch mint, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp brown mustard seeds, toasted until they start to pop
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper

1. Roast almonds in a dry pan until golden, or spread on a baking tray and roast in the oven at 180C fan for 7 mins at 200C. Then roughly chop them
2. In a hot pan, griddle the spring onions briefly and then slice into 1cm pieces
3. Rinse the rice and boil a pan of salted water
4. Tip the damp rice into the boiling water, add the cinnamon stick, stir and cook for 10 mins
5. Drain and combine with rest of ingredients except pomegranate seeds. Check the seasoning
6. Spoon out onto a platter and sprinkle the pomegranate seeds over. Serve straight away