Almond Poppy Seed veggie rice

I know what you are all thinking. Another rice dish? Trust me when I say this, I didn't even want to post this recipe when I started making it. I thought people come to my blog to see baking recipes not some plain old rice dish. But, after eating it, I changed my mind about not posting. This was so awesome that I took a picture in a hurry to post it before the whole pot went empty.

One Year Back - Honey Cardamom Ice cream
Two Years Back - Spicy Dill Biscuits
Ingredients: 
Basmathi rice - 2 cups uncooked
Oil - 4 TBSP divided use
Turmeric - a generous pinch
Salt - to taste
Poppy Seeds - 3 TBSP
Whole raw almonds - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - 10 or per taste chopped roughly
Cinnamon - 2" piece
Garlic - 4 cloves
Ginger - 2" piece peeled and chopped roughly
Onions - 2 large sliced into 1" strips
Veggies - any combination (I used 4 large carrots and a 10 Oz bag of spinach)
Lime - 1 juiced (optional - you could add about 2 tomatoes chopped instead)

Method:
Cook rice (I use 2 parts water to 1 part rice) and fluff it with a fork to separate the grains. Let it cool. In a pan, take 1 TBSP of oil. When hot, add cinnamon, almonds, ginger, garlic and green chillies and saute till almonds are toasted. Towards the end, add poppy seeds. They start to pop within seconds. Turn off the heat. When cool, take them into a blender jar and using as little water as possible, make a paste. Set aside.
To the same pan, add the remaining 3 TBSP of oil. When hot, add onions and add turmeric. Sprinkle some salt and let it wilt. When onions have cooked, add the other cut vegetables. When those veggies are almost cooked, add the ground paste. Mix well. Add the cooled rice and mix well. Adjust the salt if needed. Cover with a lid and keep on the low flame for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add lime juice if using. Mix and serve warm or at room temperature. Left over can be warmed up. There was no need for any accompaniment for this dish, but you could always serve it with raita if you wish.

Enjoy.

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