Vegetable pulao and beetroot raita

I have been making  a lot of one dish meals lately and this was one of them. I made this pulao with lots of vegetables, green tur dal and paneer. It was very flavorful and healthy. I had to add very little water as it cooked in the water released by the vegetables. The rice absorbs the flavors from the the vegetables. I paired it with a delicious beetroot raita spiced with green chilies and garlic.

Ingredients

2 onions sliced

2 diced carrots

1 diced zucchini

about 2 cups chopped cabbage

1/2 cup sliced capsicum or sweet peppers

1 cup green toor dal (lilva toor)

1/2 cup cubed paneer

2 cups rice

Spices

1 tsp shahi jeera 

3-4 black cardamom

1 stick cinnamon

2-3 bay leaf

a few star anise

1tbsp garam masala

salt to taste

 For the beetroot raita

2 beetroots boiled and chopped 

2 cups yogurt whisked

salt and sugar according to taste

a pinch or roasted cumin powder

1 tbsp finely chopped garlic

1 finely chopped green chilli

Method

Wash the rice and let it soak in water for half and hour. Heat oil or ghee in a pan or pressure cooker add all the dry spices and fry for a minute. Now add the onions and let them get golden brown. Remove half of the onions and keep them aside. Now add  the carrots, cabbage, toor dal, and paneer. Fry for a sometime and add the garam masala and capsicum. Mix the rice in it and stir well. Season with salt and add about 1 cup water to it. You can add more or less water depending on how many vegetables you have. Cover and let it cook till done. Garnish with the fried onions, roasted cashews and chopped cilantro.

To make the raita, add the boiled and chopped beetroot to the whisked yogurt season with salt, sugar and cumin powder. For the tempering, heat some oil and add cumin seeds add garlic and green chilies to it. Let it cook till the garlic gets golden brown and then pour it over the raita.