Place the basmati rice in a large bowl. Fill with water and swish the rice with your hand for about 10 seconds. Drain and repeat 2 to 3 times until the water runs relatively clear.

After rinsing, fill the bowl with water again and let the rice soak for 30 minutes. Once soaked, drain the rice thoroughly in a colander.

In a medium saucepan, heat the ghee over medium heat. Add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, green cardamom, cloves, and cumin seeds.

Sauté the spices until they become aromatic, which should take about a minute.

Add the drained rice to the saucepan and sauté for 30-60 seconds to coat the rice in the ghee and spices.

Pour in the water and salt, then bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan with a lid, and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

Check the rice. If all the water has evaporated, turn off the heat and let the rice sit, covered, to steam for an additional 10 minutes.

After the rice has steamed, stir in the chopped cilantro and fluff the rice with a fork to separate the grains.