Vegetable Biryani

Ingredients:
Rice - 1 cup
Cauliflower florets - 1/4 cup
Chopped carrots - 1/4 cup
Chopped Capsicum - 1/4 cup
Chopped Potato - 1/4 cup
Chopped beans - 1/4 c

Green peas -  hand full

Onion (large) - 1

Green chillies - 2

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Cloves - 2

Cinnamon - 1/4 inch

Anise - small piece

Bay leaf - one

Ginger - half inch

Garlic pod - one

Red chilly powder - 1/4 tbsp

Garam masala - 1/4 tbsp

Coriander powder - 1/4tbsp

Turmeric - pinch

Salt - as per taste

Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

Water - 2 cups

Ghee - 1 tbsp
Cashews - 12

Oil - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Wash, clean, chop onion length wise and set aside.
2. Grind ginger, garlic, cinnamon, anise, cloves together to form a fine paste.
3. Take a pan, heat oil, add cumin seeds, bay leaf, green chillies and fry them.
4. Add finely chopped onions, chopped fresh vegetables, turmeric and saute for 1 min (do not wait until they turn tender).
5. Add prepared masala paste and fry it until the raw smell is disappeared.
6. Add red chilly powder, coriander powder, garam masala and mix well (sprinkle some water if required).
7. Drop the green peas in to pan and fry them along with mixed vegetables for one minute.
8. Now transfer the contents in to electric cooker, add washed rice, ghee (makes rice non-sticky), required water and adjust the salt.
9. Once the rice is cooked, mix well with fork (so that the rice will not be crumbled) and garnish with chopped coriander leaves and roasted cashews. Serve hot with raita.

TIP: Alternately you can prepare this biryani by cooking vegetable gravy separately and mix with boiled rice.