Jeera Vegetable Pulao

Ellarum Blogging, enikkum bloggenam :(
but there was something quite not practical about blogging recipes, ende cooking ellam is on a 'moi chef par excellence' attitude...so everything had to look 'expert' like to me..who else alle?
ingredients eyeball, the color and aroma of the dish..literally eyeball :))
so an attempt at my nearly exact measurement recipe..starting with ende priyapetta Kochayn's Jeera-Vegetable Pulao.
The Pulao is jeera flavor dominant so i put this name..vere nalla creative names onnum thalayil illa...

Jeera -Vegetable Pulao

Ingredients
Basmati rice – 3 cups
Red Onions julienned (thinly sliced) – 2 big ones
Almonds- 20-30
Bayleaves- 4
Cinnamon sticks 2”- 4
Cardamon crushed – 6 -7
Cloves - 8 or 10
Jeera (Cumin) – 2 Tbsp
Slit Green Chillies – 8 or 9 ( or how much spicy u want the masala)
Ghee/Butter /& Vegetable oil- 3 Tbsp + 1/12 Tbsp
Ginger Paste, Garlic paste – 2 ½ Tbsp
Mixed Veggies- 2 – 21/2 cups ( I use frozen carrots & peas only )
½ lemon juice, or more to suit taste.
Salt to taste
Water

Method

Rice- Cook rice in double quantity water until just done – The rice should NOT be mushy or too well cooked. Spread out the rice to cool in a tray/plates- (pls ensure rice grains aren’t sticky for a pulao)

Heat a big nonstick- Deep skillet/ saucepan (that will hold all the rice later on) with ghee/butter – 2tbsp and 1 ½ Tbsp oil. When hot, ( med –high heat).
Add Bay leaves, Cinnamon sticks, Cardamom, Cloves, Jeera and sauté, stir a few seconds.Then add Almonds, Slit green chillies and sauté few 3 minutes.

Add sliced Onions and sprinkle a dash of salt. Sautee till onion is translucent and starting to turn golden color. Adjust oil accordingly to ensure that nothing sticks to the bottom of pan. Stir often.

Add Ginger paste and Garlic paste and sauté until raw smell goes and all the masalas are mixed well and then add the Mixed Veggies and stir it well to combine the veggies n masala. Add salt and 2 Tbsp water and give a good stir. Close lid and let the veggies cook- around 5 minutes on MED Heat - check to see if veggies are done.

Reduce Heat to Med-Low. Squeeze ½ lemon juice (or more) over the veggies masala and add salt. Check Taste- and adj the flavors accordingly.
(The whole masala should be on the saltier side since we will be adding all the rice and the flavor needs to come through. Masala at this stage will be semi thick- not dry. If masala looks dried out, add a dash of water and mix again – but Not watery masala)

Add the cooled rice little by little and gently fold the masala into the rice until it’s all well coated and Pls ensure the rice grains do not break or squished. Add a small pat of ghee/ butter on top and slightly stir.

Close Lid tightly and turn off flame and let it sit on the heat for 5 minutes when the rice will be perfectly done in its own heat. After 5 minutes, open lid and fluff rice with a fork. Ready to serve with any nonveg or veggie side dish.