Ingredients:

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   2      cups          basmati rice
   2      tablespoons   vegetable oil
   2      small         onions -- thinly sliced
   2      teaspoons     cumin seeds
  12      whole         black peppercorns
   8                    whole         cloves
   6      whole         cardamom pods
   3                    bay leaves
   1      stick         cinnamon
   4      cups          water
     1/4  cup           whipping cream
   1      teaspoon      salt
     1/4  teaspoon      saffron threads
   1 1/2  cups          frozen peas
     1/4  cup           chopped almonds
     1/4  cup           chopped cashews
     1/4  cup           raisins

Preparation:

Rinse rice under cold running water. Place rice in large bowl. Add enough water to cover by 3 inches. Let stand 20 minutes. Drain. Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions; saut‚ until golden, about 8 minutes. Add cumin, peppercorns, cloves, cardamom, bay leaves and cinnamon; saut‚ until onions are brown, about 4 minutes. Add rice to spices and stir 2 minutes. Add 4 cups water, cream, salt and saffron. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover saucepan almost completely and cook until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Add peas to rice. Cover and simmer until rice is tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with nuts and raisins. This side dish has whole peppercorns, cardamom and cloves. They are not meant to be eaten, so discard them when serving the rice.