The Best Pilau Rice

I am a bit of a heathen and usually make boiled rice in the microwave but occasionally I make the time to cook this dish.  It knocks spots off any shop bought or takeaway pilau rice so it's worth the effort and almost a meal in itself.  I'll be serving it with panfried sea bass fillets dusted in garam masala and some wilted buttered spinach.

Ingredients
275g basmati rice
50g ghee or unsalted butter
1 large onion, finely sliced
2-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
8 whole cloves
8 green cardamons, split open the top of each pod
2 cinnamon sticks, each 2 inches long, broken up
8 whole peppercorns
1 teasp turmeric
570 mls water
11/4 teasp salt or to taste
1 heaped teasp butter
25g seedless sultanas
25g flaked almonds.

Method
Wash the rice and soak in cold water for 30 minutes. Drain well.
In a heavy based pan melt the ghee or butter over a medium heat and fry the onions until they are soft but not brown (about 5 minutes).
Add the garlic, cloves, cardamon, cinnamon, and peppercorns. Stir and fry until the onions are golden brown (3-4 minutes).
Add the rice and turmeric, stir and fry for 1- 2 minutes.  Adjust the heat to low, stir and fry the rice for a further 2-3 minutes.
Add the water and the salt, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes without lifting the lid.
Remove the pan from the heat and keep it undisturbed for a further 10-12 minutes.
Melt the 1 teasp butter over a gentle heat and fry the sultanas until they change colour and swell up (1 minute).  Transfer the sultanas onto a plate and in the same pan fry the almonds until they are lightly browned.  Remove and put onto separate plate.
Put the pilau rice into a serving dish and using a fork, gently mix in the the fired sultanas and almonds.