Ingredients:

• 3 cups long grain Rice
• 4 Potatoes quartered boiled
• 4 Capsicums cut into strips
• 4 Onions chopped into strips
• 4 Onions quartered
• 4 Tomatoes chopped
• 2 cups slices mixed vegetables (French beans, carrots, cauliflower, etc.)
• 2 tsp Ginger grated
• 2 tsp Garlic grated
• 1 cup Curd
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 2 Cloves
• 1-inch Cinnamon stick
• 4 Cardamoms
• 4-5 whole black peppers
• 2 tsp Red Chilli powder
• 2 tsp Garam Masala
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 5-6 pinches asafetida
• 2 tbsp Lemon juice
• 2 tbsp coriander chopped
• 10-15 cashews
• 10-12 Almonds sliced to flakes (optional)
• 4-5 tbsp Ghee

Method:

1. Wash and soak rice in salted water for half an hour.
2. Heat ghee in a heavy saucepan.
3. Fry onion strips till crisp, brown.
4. Drain and keep aside.
5. Fry cashews till light brown. Drain and keep aside.
6. Fry capsicums till tender and keep aside.
7. Heat 12 cups water in a large vessel.
8. Add all the spices and some salt.
9. When it comes to boil, add the soaked rice.
10. Bring to boil, cook for 8-9 minutes, till rice is just cooked but not fully done.
11. Drain in a large colander, spread in a big plate and leave it to cool.
12. Grind quartered onions, ginger, garlic to a paste.
13. In hot ghee, add paste stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
14. Add all powdered masalas, tomatoes, mixed vegetables, stir, cook till fat separates.
15. Beat curd, add, stir and cook for 3 minutes.
16. Add potatoes, stir, keep aside.
17. To fill handi:
18. Grease an oven proof handi well on the inside.
19. Layer the handi half with rice at the bottom.
20. Add a layer of vegetables and another layer of rice.
21. Mix together fried onions, capsicums, cashews, sliced almonds, coriander.
22. Sprinkle half over the vegetable layer.
23. Sprinkle half lemon juice all over.
24. Repeat rice to lemon juice layer by layer.
25. Either cover with fitting lid, seal edges with chapatti dough, or seal top with a tightly packed foil sheet.
26. Make a small slit for excess steam to escape.
27. Bake in a preheated oven at 130 C for 15-20 minutes.
28. Break open the seal and serve hot with onion raita

Recipe courtesy of Sify Bawarchi