Rinse the rice in several changes of water until it runs clear. Strain off all water. Put the cloves, star anise, and cardamom inside the spice bag. This is optional. My kids don't like to bite into cloves or cardamom so I'm putting them inside the spice bag
Cooking with rice cooker:
Preheat a large wok or skillet. Add ghee or coconut oil and let it melts. Saute onion and garlic until fragant, about 3 minutes. Add the spice bag, cinnamon stick, pandan leaves, and tomato paste and saute for another minute. Add the chicken pieces and saute until they just turn opaque
Transfer this to the inner pot of the rice cooker. Add rice, seasonings and pour in the water and evaporated milk. Stir to combine. Close the lid of the rice cooker and press cook or cook using the white rice setting
Fluff the rice and then stir in the cubed tomatoes. The residual heat will soften the tomatoes without making them mushy. Garnish with cilantro and pistachio nuts if you choose to use and serve
Cooking with multicooker (or Instant Pot pressure cooker):
Press saute/cook. When it's hot, add ghee or coconut oil. Let it melts. Saute onion and garlic until fragant, about 3 minutes. Add the spice bag, cinnamon stick, pandan leaves, and tomato paste and saute for another minute. Add the chicken pieces and saute until they just turn opaque. Pour in the water and evaporated milk. Add the rice grains and seasonings and stir to combine. Make sure the rice is submerged inside the liquid
Close the lid and turn the pressure release valve to "sealing". Press "pressure cooker" and make sure it's on "high pressure". Set the timer to 2 minutes and then do natural release
Fluff the rice and then stir in the cubed tomatoes. The residual heat will soften the tomatoes without making them mushy. Garnish with cilantro leaves and pistachio nuts if you choose to use and serve
Cooking on the stove:
Preheat a heavy-bottom pot with a tight-fitting lid. It's important to use heavy-bottom pot so your rice won't get burnt during cooking. Add ghee or coconut oil and let it melts. Saute onion and garlic until fragant, about 3 minutes. Add the spice bag, cinnamon stick, pandan leaves, and tomato paste and saute for another minute. Add the chicken pieces and saute until they just turn opaque
Add the rice, seasonings, and then pour in the water and evaporated milk. Stir to combine. Bring the liquid to a simmer and then close the lid and lower the heat to low. Cook for the next 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and wait 10 minutes before opening the lid. After that, uncover the lid stir in the diced tomatoes and close the lid back and let it stand for another 5 minutes then fluff the rice. Garnish with some cilantro leaves and pistachio nuts if you choose to use. Serve warm