¼ carrot, peeled and cut into 5mm/¼in dice
1 hot green chilli, finely chopped
thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger
40²µ/1½´Ç³ú green beans, cut into 5mm/¼in segments
100g/4oz potato, peeled and cut into 5mm/¼in dice
basmati rice, measured to the 450ml/1 pint level in a measuring jug
1 tbsp cardamom seeds (removed from cardamom pods)
a medium stick of cinnamon, about 5cm-8cm/2in-3in, broken up into 3-4 pieces
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp black cumin seeds (you can use regular cumin seeds if black aren't available)
1 tsp garam masala
½ tsp brown mustard seeds
1/3 of a whole nutmeg (you can break a whole nutmeg by placing it on a cloth and bashing it with a meat mallet or rolling pin)
3 tbsp olive or groundnut oil
1 tsp black peppercorns
1¼ tsp salt
½ tsp ground turmeric