Vegetable Pulao

This is my friend G's recipe. I should say she is a wonderful cook and a good friend of mine.
I have made some modifications according to the taste of my family.
Though my veg pulao is a restaurant style and I will post it sometime.
Original recipe calls for adding coconut, I have omitted it.
Again it makes a delicious one pot meal with raita and goes without saying, that good for packed lunches too.

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice - 2cups (soaked for 15 minutes),
Oil - 2 Tablespoon,
Shahi Jeera - 2 teaspoon
Onion - 2 medium sliced,
Tomato - 4 chopped,
Mixed Vegetable - 1 cup chopped (beans, carrot, potato, peas...)
Salt.

To Grind:
Saunf - 1 teaspoon,
Cinnamon - 2 inch peice,
Cloves - 5,
Star Anise - about 1/4 inch size,
Cardamom - 1,
Green Chillies - 10-12,
Ginger - 1 inch,
Garlic - 5 cloves,
Coriander - 1 teaspoon,
Mint - 1 tablespoon,
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon.

Method:
Grind the ingredients under the grinding table to smooth paste with as little as water as possible and keep aside.
In a broad pan add oil and heat.
Add shahi jeera and allow to crackle.
Add onions and fry until light brown.
Add mixed vegetables and fry for 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes and fry until mushy.
Add ground paste and fry until nice aroma emits.
Add 4 cups of boiling water. (measurement is always 1 cup of rice : 2 cups of boiling water).
Add salt and stir.
Drain the water from soaked rice completely.
Add rice to boiling water.
Cover and cook until rice is completely cooked and fluffy. (about 15-20 minutes approximately).
Enjoy with raita.

Note:
If you do not have shahi jeera add normal cumin seeds.
To cook rice for pulao, always add boiling water.
 After adding rice to boiling water, cook the rice in high flame until the water evaporates(approximately 10 minutes)
Completely lower the flame after water evaporates and cook for another 5 more minutes.
Remove from heat and cover and keep for 2 more minutes.
Take care not to stir the rice too many times while cooking.
Whole process of cooking the rice, might need only 2-3 times of stirring to ensure even cooking.
Add a teaspoon of ghee once completely cooked to enhance the flavour and taste, again its optional.