Vegetable pulao

This is a very simple recipe and a never fail one if you are a little careful in cooking the rice.

Ingredients

• Basmati rice - 1 cup
• Carrot - 2 
• French beans - a handful
• Onion - thinly sliced - 2
• Pepper powder - 2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Ghee - 2 tbsp
• Cardamom - 3
• Cloves - 4
• Cinnamon - 2 small sticks
• Bay leaves - 1/2

Method

• Soak the basmati rice in water for an hr and then drain and keep aside
• Cube the vegetables.
• Put the chopped vegetables in a non stick vessel, add the salt, 2 tbsp water and pepper powder. Cover and cook for 7 minutes. The vegetables should be cooked and crunchy
• Heat a pan. Add 1 tbsp ghee. Add the boiled vegetables and pan fry for 5 minutes. 
• In a large non-stick vessel boil 2 cups of water. Add salt and 1/2 tbsp ghee and the soaked rice. Add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf. Close the vessel and cook until all the water finishes off and the rice is cooked. Cool the rice quickly and keep aside
• To make the golden brown onions
• Thinly slice the onions
• Mix with a little salt and keep aside for 30 minutes.
• After this time, express all the water out of onion and deep fry in oil till golden brown.

To assemble

• Take a oven proof dish and line with a little ghee
• Put a layer of cooled rice over it. Add a layer of vegetables and 3-4 dashed on fried onion, cashew nut and raisins. Add a little ghee to the layers too as you make it. Continue the above layering until all layers are done and decorate the top with remaining onion, cashews and raisins.
• Bake in an oven for 10 minutes

You can serve with raita, chutney, pappad... and if you have, cutlets too