Carrots and peas Biryani (Spicy/Hot)

This is again made using more or less the same techniques I described before. And although it looks pretty much the same as the previous one, minute changes in the masallas and the addition of a couple of more ingredients have made all the difference in the aroma and the taste of this simple dish .

The main ingredients (exclude the banana)

The white onions u see here is a small experiment I undertook since I usually prefer fresh red onions with intense flavour. The white 1's worked out to be pretty good in the end, the mildness as opposed to the usual pungent flavour of the onioins added a new dimension to the taste.

Main Ingredients:

• Cooking oil - 2 tablespoons (1 Tbsp = 15mL)
• Basmati Rice - 1 hand full
• Tomato - 2 medium sized
• White Onion - small cut in half
• Green Chilli - 3 medium sized (OPTIONAL) - not included here although would have been nice.
  
• Curry Leaves - 4 or 5 (a.k.a Kadi patta)
• Corriander - as much as you like (a.k.a Dhania)
  
• Mustard Seeds - half tea spoon (a.k.a. Rai)
  
• Cumin seeds - half tea spoon (a.k.a. Jeera)
• Turmeric powder - quarter tea spoon (a.k.a. haldi)
  
• Red chilli powder - 1 tea spoon (can be varied)
• Ginger and Garlic (or ginger paste) - 1 small piece crushed (or half tea spoon) (OPTIONAL)
• MDH Sabzi (vegetable) masalla- 1.5 tea spoon
• Cloves (Lavang) - 2
  
• Salt - to taste

Ready, Steady.....COOK!!

1. Wash the rice in a bowl once and drain the water away. Refill the bowl, with the amount of water being 3 times the amount if rice. Cook on high flame for 10-12 minuteswith lid on, taking care that the rice does not stick and burn at the bottom of the dish.
   
2. Since the amount of water if high, the rice usually does not stick. After 10 minutes, taste a little bit of rice. If the rice is puffed and soft, its done. Otherwise cook for a little while longer. Using a wire mesh, drain the rice so that the water flows away. Keep this rice covered for use later on.
3. While the rice cooks, chop the tomatos, onion, carrot & green chilli into small pieces to save some time. The logic here is that small pieces of food cook better and the food is enriched with flavours.
4. Transfer the oil in a bowl and add the cumin and mustard seeds. Heat on high flame. Wait untill you see the seeds crackle.
5. Now add the green chillies, onions, ginger(or paste), garlic, cloves and curry leaves. Take care as the oil is hot and the ingredients tend to JUMP initially. Stir now and then to ensure nothing sticks and burns. Wait untill the onions begin to brown.
6. Then, add the tomatoes and turmeric powder. Stir and cook untill the tomatoes are soft.
7. Now, add half a cup of water alongwith the carrots and peas. Also add the red chilli powder and the sabzi masalla. Stir gently.
8. After adding everything, put the lid on and cook for about 10 minutes. Its best to remain in the kitchen the first time you make this. After about 5 minutes, lift the lid up and stir to check consistancy. If the mixture is too thick, add a bit of water. If you want to know whether the vegetables are cooked, use a spoon to slice them in half. Well done vegetables are soft and mushy. This part should not require more than 10-13 minutes.
9. Once everythings cooked, boil away all the extra water. The end result should be like thick gravy. Now, add the rice we cooked before and stir the mixture one final time. Add the chopped corriander at the end as a garnish. Alternatively, add the corriander alongwith the rice and mix it all.

Here is how mine looked like:

Happy cooking!!