
Ingredients:
• 1.5 cups long grain Rice
• 2 Potatoes quartered and boiled
• 2 Capsicums cut into strips
• 2 Onions chopped into strips
• 2 Onions quartered
• 2 Tomatoes chopped
• 1 cup mixed vegetables, sliced (French beans, carrots, cauliflower, etc.)
• 1 teaspoon Ginger grated
• 1 tsp. Garlic grated
• 1 cup Curd
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 2 Cloves
• 1-inch Cinnamon stick
• 2 Cardamoms
• 4-5 whole Black Peppercorns
• 1 tsp. Red Chilli powder
• 1 tsp. Garam Masala
• salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp. Turmeric powder
• 2-3 pinches asafetida
• 1 tbsp. Lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. coriander chopped
• 10-15 cashews
• 10-12 Almonds sliced to flakes (optional)
• 4-5 tbsp. Ghee
Method:
- Wash and soak rice in salted water for 30 minutes.
- Heat ghee in a heavy saucepan.
- Fry onion strips till crisp, brown, drain, keep aside.
- Fry cashews till light brown, drain, keep aside.
- Fry capsicums till tender, drain, keep aside.
- Heat 6 cups water in a large vessel.
- Add bay leaves, peppers, cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms and salt.
- When it comes to boil, drain and add rice.
- Bring to boil, cook for 8-9 minutes, till rice is just but not fully done.
- Drain in a large colander, spread in a big plate, cool.
- Grind quartered onions, ginger, garlic to a paste.
- In hot ghee, add paste. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
- Add all powdered masalas, tomatoes, mixed vegetables, stir, cook till fat separates.
- Beat curd, add, stir till the boil resumes, cook 2-3 minutes.
- Add potatoes, stir, keep aside.
- To fill handi:
- Grease an oven proof handi well on the inside.
- Place in half of rice, spread at the bottom.
- Top with half vegetables layer, spread over rice.
- Mix together fried onions, capsicums, cashews, sliced almonds, coriander.
- Sprinkle half over vegetable layer.
- Sprinkle half lemon juice all over.
- Repeat rice to lemon juice layer by layer.
- Either cover with fitting lid, seal edges with chapatti dough, or Seal top with a tightly packed foil sheet.
- Make a small slit for excess steam to escape.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 130 degree C for 15-20 minutes.
- Break seal at the table to get the most out of the aroma.
Recipe courtesy of Sify Bawarchi