A special Lunch for D2

Dinaer was leaving by the five o’clock flight to Mumbai. So in a feast fit for a king Kyar Singh dished out Vegetable biryani. The recipe had just come in the Rajasthan Patrika’s ‘Parivar’ pullout. It went with aloor dum. My Bengali taste buds taking over. Arhar ki-dal and accompanied by cucumber-tomato-onion raita.

You can see my famous Jaipuri lac-bangles. Nowadays they set it with coloured Swaroski crystals. The more the rows of crystals the more expensive it is.

My dry decorations have survived nearly eight years of transfers and storms (personal and otherwise). They were made by two wonderful gardeners in my lovely paradise of Jallandhar. They were so tiny and thin that one wondered how they were recruited into BSF. Before memory fails me they went by the name Haldar and Nag. Dear husband called them my country cousins. They grew giant sized dahlias and chrysanthemums and I wish I could mummify my garden and carry it with me. So may be this was part of the dream.

I almost forgot the Bhindi one of Dinaer’s favourites was made as well.

So here goes the recipe:

You need Rice -1and a half cup, one medium sized cauliflower, onions three, oil four tablespoons. Kyar Singh added peas as well instead of potato as recommended in the recipe.

For the Masala paste

Cinnamon –one, cloves-3-4, green cardamom, dhania powder, jeera, saunf, lalmirchi and ginger 3 inch.

For the paste add water and grind it into a smooth paste.

In a nonstick pan add oil and fry the onions till they are brown then add the masala paste. Keep gas on sim for 2-3 minutes. Then add 3 cups of water, and let it cook. When it begins to boil add the washed and cleaned rice. Cook for 10-15 minutes with the lid on.

However, Bahadur cooked it in the pressure cooker and waited for 1 and half whistle?