Navratan Pulao

                   A heavily fragrant , rich pulao made with basmati rice, vegetables, dried fruits and nuts. This has a jewel or gem like appearance using 9 or more veggies and hence the name "Navratan" which means "nine gems". This pulao is considered as a royal dish and  tastes well when paired with a spicy north Indian side dish or  can even be served without any  side dish.

Ingredients

• Basmati rice - 1 cup
• Boiling Water - 2 cups
• Onion - 1/4 cup (finely slice)
• Vegetables Cubed - 1 cup (potatoes, carrot, green beans, green peas)
• Fruits-  1/4 cup  cubes (Pineapple, pomegranate seeds)
• Cardamom - 2
• Black cardamom 2
• Cloves  -2
• Bay Leaf - 1
• Cinnamon - 1 small piece
• Ghee - 2 -3 tbsp
• Peppercorns - 5
• Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Cashews - 10
• Almonds - 10
• Raisins - 15
• Lemon juice - 1 tsp
• Coriander Leaves - 1 tbsp chopped
• Salt

Method

1. Cook rice in boiling water adding salt and 1 tbsp lemon juice.(this prevents the rice from sticking each other).
2. Heat a pan in  and add 2 tbsp ghee .
3. Fry cashews , almonds and raisins.Drain and keep aside.
4. To the same pan fry paneer cubes followed by veggies one by one. Drain and keep aside.
5. To the same pan on melted ghee add jeera and whole spices and saute .
6. Add finely sliced onions and saute till brown.
7. Add saute'd veggies ,followed by cooked rice and mix gently.
8. Cover and keep in low flame for 5 minutes.
9. Add freshly cubed pineapple, pomegranate seeds, fried nuts and raisins.
10. Garnish with coriander leaves.
11. Serve  hot with any veg or non veg curry.

Notes

1. To prevent rice from sticking to each other, add  1 tsp oil and lemon juice while cooking rice.
2. You can add any veggies of your choice.

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Cheers,

Asha