This wonderful, shining rice may be eaten by itself, with hot, spicy Indian dishes, or even with Western foods such as baked ham and roast goose.
Saffron does give this dish a very special flavour but if you are on a tight budget and find saffron a bit too expensive, just leave it (and the milk) out and increase the yellow food colouring to I teaspoon.
Put the saffron in a small, heavy frying pan set over a medium flame. Stir it about until the threads turn a few shades darker. Put the milk in a small cup and crumble the saffron into it. Set it aside for 3 hours.
Wash the rice in several changes of water and drain it. Leave it to soak in 5 cups of water for half an hour. Drain for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to low-moderate, 300'F.
Heat the ghee in a wide, heavy, flame and oven-proof pot over a medium flame. When hot, put in the cardamom and cinammon. Stir them about for a second. Now put in the rice. Stir and saute' the rice gently for about 3 minutes, turning the heat down slightly if it begins to catch. Add 1 1/3 cups water, the yellow colouring and the salt. Turn the heat back to medium. Gently stir and cook the rice until all the water is absorbed. Put in the saffron milk, almonds, raisins, and sugar. Stir to mix, cover very tightly, and put the pot in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and stir to mix.
Remove the cardamom and cinnamon before serving. If liked, silver vark can be placed on the rice with a few raisins and nuts on top.