Saffron jewelled rice by Nadiya Hussain

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Nadiya's family love making this sparkly biryani dish for special occasions! It's really easy to make – why not give it a go yourself?

Biryani rice with pistachios and cranberries in it.

You will need

Large non-stick pan
50g unsalted butter
1 large cinnamon stick, snapped in half
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
300g Basmati rice, rinsed in a sieve
25g dried cranberries
25g pistachios, kept whole
Large pinch of saffron threads
700ml hot water

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Step 1

Cooking on a hob can be dangerous, so grab a grown-up to help if you need!

Put a medium non-stick saucepan over a medium heat. Add the butter and the cinnamon stick and allow the cinnamon to infuse into the butter. You should be able to smell it in the air.

Now add the onion and salt, and cook until the onion is soft. This should take about five minutes.

Step 2

Add the rice, cranberries, pistachios and saffron and cook in the butter for about five minutes. Make sure you stir all the time – the rice should look glossy.

Cinnamon sticks, pistachios, cranberries and onions in a pan.

Step 3

Now pour in the hot water and increase the heat. Make sure to stir the pan occasionally so the rice doesn't get a chance to settle and stick to the bottom.

Allow the rice to boil and the liquid to evaporate completely.