Dissolve the coconut cream into 1½ pints hot water and stir until dissolved.

Slice the onion finely. Heat the ghee in a large saucepan and fry the sliced onion, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon until brown. Stir in ½ of the coconut milk mixture and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Cut the meat into 1-½ inch pieces. Add the meat to the boiling coconut milk. Stir in salt to taste, cover the saucepan and let the contents simmer on a low heat.

Boil the potatoes and peel them. Split the chillies lengthways. Divide the remaining onions into 4 pieces each. Grate the ginger finely. When the meat is almost tender add the quartered onions, chillies and ginger and continue cooking until tender. Add the boiled potatoes.

Mix the flour into the remaining coconut milk and add this mixture to the curry. As soon as the gravy thickens, remove from the heat. Stir in the butter, juice of lemon and curry leaves. Mix gently and serve.

Place rice in a sieve and rinse well under running water, drain then transfer to a bowl. Add water to cover and soak for 30 minutes to remove excess starch, then drain well.

Heat butter in a large saucepan, add onion and cook for 5 mins until soft, add cardamom, bay leaves and drained rice and stir for 2 minutes until all the grains are covered with oil. Add saffron mixture and 3 3/4 cups of water and bring to the boil, cover with a lid and cook over a low - medium heat for 8 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and stand for 10 minutes, covered. Serve and garnish with chopped pistachios.