Step 1

Rinse rice till the water runs clear of starch and become transparent while rinsing.

Step 2

Soak the rice in enough water for 30 minutes. Drain all the water and keep the soaked rice aside.

Step 3

Rinse, peel and chop the vegetables.

Step 4

Crush chopped ginger, garlic and green chillies to a paste in a mortar-pestle or grind them in a small mixer or grinder with a bit of water.

Step 5

In a deep thick bottomed pot or pan, heat ghee or oil and fry all the whole spices mentioned above, till the oil becomes fragrant and the spices splutter.

Step 6

Add the onions and saute them till golden. Saute the onions on a low to medium-low flame and stir often for uniform browning.

Step 7

Add the ginger-garlic-green chili paste and saute for some seconds till their raw aroma goes away.

Step 8

Add the tomatoes and saute for 2 to 3 minutes on a low to medium-low flame.

Step 9

Add all the chopped veggies and saute again for 1 to 2 minutes on a low to medium-low flame.

Step 10

Add rice and saute gently for 1 to 2 minutes on a low or medium-low flame, so that the rice gets well coated with the oil.

Step 11

Add water and lemon juice. Mix and stir.

Step 12

Season with salt and stir again.

Step 13

Cover tightly and let the rice cook on a low flame, till the water is absorbed and the rice is well cooked.

Step 14

Check in between a few times to check if the water is enough. Depending on the quality of rice, you may need to add less or more water. With a fork too, you can gently stir the rice without breaking the rice grains.

Step 15

Once the rice grains are cooked, fluff and let the rice stand for 5 minutes.

Step 16

Serve pulao hot with some side salad, sliced onion & lemon wedges or raita. You can also garnish it with chopped coriander or mint leaves or fried cashews or fried onions.