Palak Rice / Spinach rice

Ingredients:
2 cups of Basmati rice - soaked in water for about half hour
1 big onion sliced
3 cups of chopped spinach / palak
3-4 sliced carrot
half cup peanuts
1 potato - cut into cubes
4 tsp oil
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 bay leaves
1 tsp of turmeric powder
pinch of hing/ asafoetida
1 and half tsp ginger garlic paste
2 tsp red chili powder
1 and half tsp of garam masala
3 and half cups of water
2 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste
cilantro for garnishing


Procedure:

• Heat up oil in pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and bay leaves. Let them crackle. Then add sliced onion to it.
• Once the onions get nice golden colour add ginger garlic paste. Saute it for a minute. Then add turmeric powder, pinch of asafoetida and potato cubes into it. Add salt to taste. Mix well and cover the pan. Let it cook for 5 mins.
• Open the cover, potatoes will be half cooked. Now its time to add dry spices. Add red chili powder and garam masala. Then add chopped spinach to it. Saute it for 2 minutes.
• Drain out the excess water from rice and add rice to pan. Mix rice well and add water,lemon juice, chopped carrots and peanuts. Mix well and cover the pan, increase the heat to high.Let it cook for 5 min on high heat. After 5 mins, reduce the heat to medium and let rice cook for 15 mins. Then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 5 min.
• If you are using pressure cooker, then cook rice till 2 whistle.
• Switch off the heat and garnish it with cilantro.

Tips:

• Don't add carrots along with potatoes as carrots cook faster. To avoid mashing of carrots with rice and preserve their original shape and color, add them after adding water to rice.