Dirty Rice with Caramelized Onions from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 8 to 10 green or white cardamom pods, to taste
• ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 cup Indian or Pakistani white basmati rice
• 2 cinnamon sticks (each 3 inches long), broken into smaller pieces
• 2 tablespoons Ghee or canola oil
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
• 1½ teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt
• 1 large red onion, finely chopped