Palak Pulao / Palak Rice / Spinach Rice

Ingredients:

1. Palak or spinach - 2 cups ( cleaned and roughly chopped)
2. Ground nuts - 1/4 cup
3. Basmati rice  - 1 and 1/2 cup
4. Onion  -   3/4 cup finely chopped
5. Jeera (cumin seeds) -  1 tsp
6. Ginger - 1 inch
7. Garlic -  6 big cloves
8. Green chillies - 2
9. Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Salt as per taste
11. Oil - 4 tbsp
12. Bay leaves or tej patha - 2 no.s

Method:

• Wash the rice and soak it in water for 30 minutes.
• Heat some oil in a heavy bottomed vessel.
  When the oil is hot, add the bay leaves and the ground nuts. Once the groundnuts have changed color, add the cumin seeds or jeera.

• When the groundnuts have slightly changed in color, add the onions.

• While the onions are cooking, make a paste of ginger, garlic and green chillies.

• Add this paste to the onions and cook for some time.

• Now grind the spinach (palak) using some water. Add water to this paste to make it about 3 and 1/4 cups of the spinach solution. Heat this solution while the onions are getting cooked.

Heat the solution while the onion is cooking.

• Add this hot spinach solution to the cooked onions.

• Drain the water from the rice and add it to this solution.

• Add the red chilli powder and salt.

• When it comes to a boil, close the lid and reduce the heat. (In my electric  range , at about 3-4)
• Cook till the rice has cooked and  all the moisture has evaporated.

• Serve hot with the raita of your choice.

Note: All my measurements are as per the US cup and spoon sizes. This varies for country to country. Hence adjust the quantities accordingly.