Vegetable Pulao - a quick fix

Vegetable Pulao, the best option to ensure my teen has her veggies happily. And so when I had this tomato biriyani recipe from Indian Healthy Recipes(a site recommended by my sister, she has tried many recipes here and has been very very happy with how they turned out) at my sister's place I just could not resist the temptation to try it. Believe me we all enjoyed it thoroughly and the teen had it for both lunch and dinner.

An easy to make quick dish this is a delicious combination of many vegetables. Let me get down straight to the list of ingredients and method(do not get put off by the long list of ingredients, they are all everyday ingredients and it is a simple dish that you can make any day).

Ingredients for the Vegetable Pulao
Basmati Rice - 2 cups
Water - 3 cups(I generally take 1.5 times water for basmati rice)
Onion - 1 medium sized - chopped finely
Tomato - 1 big (chopped finely)
Green peas - 1/2 cup (I used frozen peas)
Beans - 1/2 cups(finely chopped)
Carrot - 2 carrots(finely chopped)
Capsicum (I used green capsicum you may add any colour of your choice) - 1 (finely chopped)
Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Green chilli - 1 (slit into 2)
Kashmiri chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves ( finely chopped) - 2 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Whole Spices 
Jeera or cummin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Green cardamom - 3 to 4
Cloves - 4 to 5
Star anise - 1
Mace - 1 strand
Cinnamon - 1inch
Nutmeg powder - 1/2 tsp

Method to make the Vegetable Pulao
1- Clean and wash the rice thoroughly. Soak in water for about half an hour. Drain and keep aside.
2- Take a big kadai or pan and add the oil. Now add the cummin seeds and other whole spices. Fry for about a minute without burning the spices.
3-Add in the onion, garlic paste and green chilli. Saute till the onion turns soft and translucent and the raw smell of the garlic disappears (I like to add a little salt while sauteeing onion as it gets done faster that way).
4- Add the chopped tomatoes and other vegetables. Saute and cook for 3-5 minutes till the tomato is nicely soft and crushed. Add the red chilli powder and coriander powder(add 2 tbsp of water if required so as not to burn the masala) and saute for a minute.
4- Now add the drained rice and fry for a minute or two. Add 3 cups of water(hot water), salt as required and mix.
5- Cover and cook till the rice is completely done. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.
Serve it with the raita and a curry of your choice. I served it with a cucumber raita, chicken curry and pappad.