Most disappointing saffron dishes share one fault: the threads went in dry. Saffron's colour and scent dissolve slowly, and they need warmth and time before they meet the rice.
What you need
For four: 1.5 cups aged basmati, 12 to 15 threads of saffron, 3 tablespoons of warm milk, 2 tablespoons of ghee, 4 green cardamom pods, a 3 cm piece of cinnamon bark, 4 cloves, salt, and a handful of fried onions if you like them.
Bloom the saffron first
Crush the threads lightly between your fingers and drop them into the warm milk. Leave them for at least fifteen minutes. The milk should turn a deep sunset orange.
If the milk is pale after fifteen minutes, the saffron is old. Good saffron stains quickly and smells of honey and hay.
Cook the rice
Wash the rice until the water runs clear and soak it for twenty minutes. Warm the ghee, add the cardamom, cinnamon and cloves, and let them swell for half a minute. Add the drained rice, stir gently for a minute, then add 2.5 cups of hot water and salt. Cover and cook on the lowest heat for twelve minutes.
Finish
Pour the saffron milk over the rice in a spiral, cover again and rest off the heat for ten minutes. Fluff with a fork so the rice is streaked gold and white. Scatter the onions over the top.