Food for Fort: On cinnamon rice and chicken sausages

I was treated to a meal by a Pakistani friend whose cinnamon rice really tasted of the spice. My efforts to recreate it have been dismal – where might I be going wrong? Cinnamon, whether stick or ground, has to be fresh and lively if it is to do its work effectively – maybe yours has seen better days? In her recipe for peelay chaaval, or aromatic rice (in Illustrated Indian Cookery; BBC), Madhur Jaffrey uses a 2.5cm stick, 3-4 cloves and ¾ tsp turmeric, to infuse 450ml basmati rice cooked in 1.2 litres of water. If your recipe calls for ground cinnamon, buy in small amounts and use within a month. This may be heresy, but if after all that your rice still does not exude the cinnamon whiff you're after, add a quarter-teaspoon of freshly ground cinnamon at the end of the cooking, and let it stand for five minutes before serving. Heat has a way of killing off delicate spices (and herbs), particularly if not in the first flush of youth. I've just got around to making your chicken sausage recipe from 2005 , which you say can be frozen. Presumably you mean when cooked. If so, how best to reheat them? And what a splendid recipe that is – not wholly original, of course, but a winner. It can be frozen uncooked or cooked. If frozen uncooked, make sure it's properly defrosted, and cook as per the recipe instructions; if frozen cooked, defrost and reheat gently in the oven at 150C/275F/gas mark 2 for 20-25 minutes. There may be a slight loss of texture in the freezing, but it should still taste great. • Got a question for Matthew? Email [email protected]