Ingredients:

2 1/2 cup sella basmati rice

1 big onion, thinly sliced

2 whole green chillies

1 tomato, grind to paste

2 chicken stock cube

1 1/2 -2 tbsp arabic masala powder

1 dried lemon

2 bay leaves

2 cinnamon

1 tsp black pepper corns

3 cardamoms

3 cloves

salt to taste

2 tbsp oil

Preparation:

1. Wash the sella basmati rice and soak in water for 3/4-1 hour.
2. Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan and add bay leaves, cinnamon, pepper corns, cardamoms and cloves.
3. Add sliced onion and green chillies and saute well. Add tomato paste into this and saute well.
4. Add powdered chicken stock cubes and arabic masala powder and mix well.
5. Then add 3 3/4 cup of water, dried lemon and salt and boil well.
6. Add drained rice into this and mix well and cook it covered for about 15 minutes.
7. Then add some red and yellow food colour mixed with little milk / water on top.
8. To get smoky flavour to the rice, place a small steel bowl inside the rice.
9. Heat a piece of charcoal on direct flame until it is nicely hot, this will take a few minutes. Once the charcoal is hot, place it in the bowl that is in the rice and pour a tsp of oil on top.
10. Cover the pan immediately with a tight lid and keep it in low flame for 5 minutes. Then open the lid and mix gently.
11. Serve with salata hara, salad etc…

• For cooking 1 cup rice , add 1 1/2 cup water...( Here I used 3 3/4 cup of water for 2 1/2 cup rice)