Pearl pulao

Ingredients

For Rice:
1 1/2 cups soaked and drained Basmati rice

2 cardamoms

2 cloves

1 cinnamon

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups water

2 1/2 tsp. salt

For gravy:
1 cup overnight soaked chick peas (Kabuli chana)

1 tsp. ginger paste

1 tsp. garlic paste

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. turmeric powder

1 cup fresh curds

1 cup chopped tomatoes

2 chopped potatoes

3 chopped green chilies

3 tbsp. ghee ( Clarified butter)/ oil

salt according to taste

For baking:
2 tbsp. chopped coriander

1 tbsp. chopped mint

1 chopped green chili

2 tbsp. fried onions

1/4 cup milk with a dash of saffron

Method

For Rice:
1.Mix the water and milk together.
2. Add the remaining ingredients to the drained rice along with the water-milk mixture and cook until almost done.
For gravy:
1. Boil the chick peas with a little water and drain.
2. Heat the Oil/Ghee(clarified butter) in a pan , add the ginger -garlic pastes and cook for a while. Now add the chili powder and the turmeric and cook for a minute.
3. Add the remaining ingredients, salt & chick peas and stir for a while.
How to proceed:
1. To the cooked rice, add the coriander, mint, green chilies and fried onions.
2. Put a bottom layer of rice in a big bowl and spread a layer of chick pea gravy on the top. Keep on making alternative layers of rice and gravy in this manner.
3. Finally, sprinkle the saffron milk on top, cover and bake in a hot oven at 200 degree C (400 degree F) for 30 minutes.
4. When baked, turn upside down in a serving dish and serve hot.