Spicy Vegetable Pulao - Mummy style

Serves: 6

Basmati Rice - 2 cups

Coriander leaves - 8-10 strands

Garlic cloves - 5

Green chillies - 4

Fresh ginger root - 1 inch piece, coarsely chopped

Dried red chillies - 4

Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp

Peppercorns - 5

Cinnamon - 2 sticks

Cloves - 4

Mace (Japatre) - 1/2 inch piece

Star anise (Annanus Huva) - 1/2 star

Capers (Marat Moggu) - 2

Black Stone Flower(Kalu Huva) - 1tbsp

Fennel Seeds - 1 tbsp

Bay leaves - 4

Cardamom - 4, slit open

Oil - 4 tbsp

Beans - 1 cup, cut into inch long pieces and slit if they are thick

Carrot - 1/2 cup, cut into inch long and 1/4 inch thick pieces
Knol Khol - 1 cup, cut into inch squares, 1/4 inch thick
Cauliflower - 1 cup, broken into small florets
Peas - 1/2 cup, preferably fresh
Onion - 1 large, cut into 1/8 inch slices so that the rings remain intact
Tomato - 1 large, cut into 1/8 inch slices again without cutting the tomato through half
Mint leaves - 1/4 cup, shredded
Methi leaves - 1/4 cup, shredded
Water - 4 cups
Salt - to taste

1. Powder these coarsely - red chillies, coriander seeds, peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, mace, star anise, and capers.

2. Grind to paste - garlic, ginger, fresh coriander, green chillies

3. Wash, drain, and soak the basmati rice in warm water for about 10 minutes.

4. Heat oil on high flame in a pressure cooker. When is it hot but not smoking, reduce the heat to medium and add the bay leaves, fennel seeds, black stone flower, and cardamom in that order one after the other. Stir for about 10 sec.

5. Add the dry powder prepared earlier. Stir fry for about 5-10 seconds and then add the paste prepared earlier and stir fry for about a minute.

6. Add the chopped herbs and stir about 1 minute. Add the onions, raise the heat to medium-high and stir-fry until the onions turn brownish. Then add the tomatoes. Mix and fry for another 2 minutes.

7. Add the knol-khol, beans, carrot in that order and mix well. Drain the rice soaked earlier and add to the cooker and fry until the rice grains glisten. Add the peas, cauliflower, salt to taste and water, mix and pressure cook for one whistle.

8. Immediately remove from heat, open the cooker as soon as possible, and fluff up the rice. Allow the rice to cool slightly so that the grains loosen.

Serve hot with raita of your choice.