Funeral Rice - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 liters water
400 g rice
10 ml salt
20 g yellow sugar
3 ml saffron or 10 ml turmeric
3 cinnamon sticks or 3 pieces cassia
8 cardamom seeds
15 ml naartjie peel, cut into strips
50 g butter
75 g sultanas, mixed with raisins
75 g raisins or 150 g seedless raisins

Preparation

Heat the water to boiling point in a large saucepan.
Meanwhile, rinse the rice, and place it in the boiling water.
Stir in the salt, sugar and saffron, and add the sticks of cinnamon, cardamom seeds and naartjie peel.
Cover, reduce the heat and then simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour off the water.
Add the butter, sultanas and raisins and stir to blend.
Spoon into a colander.
Meanwhile, boil a kettleful of water and pour it into the saucepan in which the rice was cooked.
Heat to boiling point.
Place the colander of rice on top, cover and steam until the rice has swollen and the raisins are soft and plump.