Ingredients:

• 2 cups – basmati Rice
• 500 g – mixed vegetable (potatoes, French beans, carrots, peas and cauliflower)
• 2 to 4 – Cloves
• 2 to 4 – pepper
• 2 to 4 Cardamoms
• 1 to 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 inch of Cinnamon stick, broken into bits
• 2 – Onions finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp – cumin seeds(jeera)
• 1/2 tsp – Mustard Seed
• 2 tsp – Ghee or Butter
• Salt to taste
• 1 – Lemon juice or Curd
• For paste:
• 1 to 2 – Tomatoes
• 1 – Onion
• 2 tsp – Cumin seeds
• 2 tsp – Coriander leaves
• 1 tsp – Tamarind
• 4 to 5 – Green chillies
• 2 – Red Chillies
• 2 to 4 – Garlic Cloves
• 1 inch – long piece of Ginger

Method:

1. Wash rice with a sieve thoroughly under cold running tap until the water runs clear.
2. Keep aside the rice for half an hour.
3. Cook pulav directly in a pressure cooker instead of cooking it separately.
4. Heat the pressure cooker, add butter or ghee, pop in the mustard seeds and cumin seeds, bay leaves, pepper etc.
5. Fry onions till brown, then add the paste and fry till the paste is cooked.
6. When the ghee or butter floats, add the vegetables, salt, rice, lemon water and mix well.
7. The ingredients in the cooker should be soaked in water which should be 1 inch above the pulao.
8. Let water boil then cover it with the lid and add whistle on when the steam comes out.
9. Cook for 3 whistles.
10. For garnish:
11. Fry cashew nuts in ghee, coriander leaves finely chopped.
12. Serve hot with cucumber and onion salad.

Recipe courtesy of H. Iyer