Vegetable Pulao

Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice – 250 g
• Mixed vegetables (carrot, beans, green peas, potato, cauliflower) - cut into 1- 1½ inch pieces or as you desire – Totally 250 g
• Paneer (cubes) - 50 g
• Chopped onion – 1 cup
• Chopped tomato – 1 cup
• Slit green chilies – 2
• Ginger and Garlic paste – 1 Tablespoon
• Red chili powder – ¼ Tablespoon
• Turmeric powder – ¼ Teaspoon
• Curry leaves – 1
• Plain yoghurt (curd) – ¼ cup
• Coriander leaves
• Oil – 2 Tablespoons
• Butter – 3 Tablespoons
• Mustard seeds – ¼ Teaspoon
• Whole garam masala (clove, cinnamon, cardamom) - few

 Method:

• Soak rice for 20 mins. Pressure cook rice with 400 ml of water. After removing the pressure, spread rice in a pan with a fork. Make sure that the cooked rice shouldn’t be broken.
• Heat oil and butter in a pressure pan. Add mustard seeds. When they pop up, add onion, whole garam masala, and a pinch of salt. Sauté until onion becomes transparent.
• Add tomato, green chillies, curry leaves ginger garlic paste and powders. Sauté them till tomato is slightly mashed. Add curd and mix well. Cook for few seconds.
• Add vegetables, paneer and remaining salt. Cook till the vegetables are tender (cauliflower can be added at the last because it takes lesser time to cook than the other vegetables).
• Now take a large bowl, add rice with the cooked vegetable mixture. Adjust seasoning. Close with a tight lid, place on a low fire for 15 minutes. It allows the masala to very well mix with rice.
• While serving, garnish with coriander leaves.
• It can be served warm with onion raitha.