rabita prasad

1. Begin by rinsing 1.5 cups basmati rice in water until it runs clear of starch. Next, soak the rice in enough water for 20 to 30 minutes.
2. After 20 to 30 minutes strain the rice of all the water and keep aside.
3. While the rice is soaking, prep the veggies. Rinse and chop them. Make sure to chop the vegetables into small cubes.
4. For cauliflower, chop them in small to medium-sized florets. Peel, rinse, and thinly slice 1 large onion.
5. Keep all the whole spices aside. From the below list of spices, you can skip black peppercorns, black cardamom, star anise and mace.
6. Add chopped ginger (1 to 1.5 inches), garlic (4 to 5 small to medium garlic cloves, peeled) and 1 to 2 green chilies (green peppers) in a mortar-pestle.
7. Crush to a paste. You can also use a small grinder for crushing these. Add a bit of water as required if grinding in a small grinder or mixer.
8. Heat 3 tablespoons ghee or oil in a deep thick bottomed pot or pan.
9. Once the ghee has melted and become hot, add all whole spices and fry for a few seconds until they become fragrant.
10. The spices will also splutter while frying. The ghee should not smoke or become too hot.
11. Add 1 cup of thinly sliced onions.
12. Mix the onions with the ghee and begin to sauté them.
13. Sauté the onions on a low to medium-low heat. First, the onions will become light golden. Continue to sauté while stirring often.
14. Sauté onions until golden.Once the onions become golden, add the prepared, crushed ginger + garlic + green chili (chili pepper) paste.Stir and sauté for some seconds until the raw aroma of the ginger & garlic goes away.. Add ½ cup chopped tomatoes.Mix and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes on a low heatNow add all the chopped veggies. You will need about 1 to 1.5 cups of mixed chopped vegetables. and dome