Vegetable Pulao

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It was Ganesh Puja yesterday and I was taken back to the my childhood days when it used to be a one of my favorite holidays.
With Mandaps in every lane, music, incense sticks and smell of fruits and sweets flooding the air, kids running around wearing new cloths, its a scene to see.
The 2 best part of the day were no studies and my moms famous meal. Every year my God Parents wold arrange the puja at their place and my Mom would prepare a feast for every body. It would generally have Vegetable pulao, bhog ki dal, tomato khata, Potala Rasa, kheer and salad. The whole family would sit together and the feast would be served in banana leaves freshly cut from our garden. 
I wanted to live that moment but its not possible so I just tried to prepare a special meal for Tanmaya with as many items as I could prepare from my Moms menu. But unfortunately I could not find any Potala (pointed guard/parwal) so I prepared Posto Dum Aloo.
So the menu was:
Vegetable Pulao
Posto Dum Aloo
Tomato Khatta
Bog ki Dal
Dahi wale bhindi

Vegetable pulao can be prepare in so many ways, but just for the auspicious occasion I prepared it without any onion or garlic.
Ingredients:
  1. Basmati Rice: 1 cup
  2. Oil: 2 tbsp
  3. Cumin Seeds: 1 tsp
  4. Cinnamon Stick: 1/2 inch
  5. Cardamon : 2 whole
  6. Tej Patta: 1
  7. Potato: 1 medium cut into cubes
  8. Carrot: 1 medium cut into diagonal cubes
  9. Beans: 1/2 cup cut diagonally
  10. Cauliflower: 1/4 cup small florets
  11. Green Chilli: 2-4 slit ( adjust as per taste)
  12. Ginger: 1/2 inch finely chopped/ grated
  13. Salt: 2 tsp (adjust as per taste)
  14. Coriander Leaves: for garnish
  15. Water: 2 cups
Procedure:
Soak the rice rice for 20 mins
In a pot heat 1 tbsp of oil.
Add the 1 tsp cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, cardamon and Tej Patta to the oil.
One the whole spices stop crackling drain the rice and add to the oil
Fry the rice for 1-2 mins or till the rice grains turn transparent.
Add 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook till the rice is cooked through and all the water dries up but not over cooked. You can check in between.
If you are not confident about the process in a pot, you can use a pressure cooker and make your life easier :)
In the meanwhile in a kadai or work heat rest of the oil.
Add rest of the cumin seeds.
As the cumin seeds stop crackling add the potato cubes and fry for 1 min.
Add the cauliflower florets and fry for another minute.
Add rest of the vegetables, green chilli and grated ginger and fry.
Add salt to taste mix well and cover cook till the vegetables are done but not mushy.
Fry for another 2-3 mins and turn off the heat.
Add the cooked rice to the vegetables and mix slowly and well. Careful not to mash up the rice.
Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with your favorite raita or curry or go crazy like me and prepare a wide spread menu :)
 You can change the vegetables that you want to use. I would have loved to use some green peas but was out of those.
So enjoy this delicious pure vegetarian dish and let me know.
Till then happy blogging
Rakhee

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