Zafrani pulao with nuts

Ingredients:

Basmati rice - 2 cups
saffron - 1/4 tspn
walnuts - 6-10 chopped
almonds - 10
cashewnuts- 15 ( nuts quantity can be increased as per taste)
onions - 2
milk - 3 tbspn
ghee - 2 tspn
oil - 2 tspn
pudina chooped - 1/4 cup
ginger garlic paste - 1 tbspn (can also finely chop them)
water - 3 cups ( or as per the rice bag instructions)

biryani masala:
cinnamon - 1/2 tspn crushed
cloves - 4
bay leaf - 1
star anise - 1 1/2
cardamom - 1 crushed
mace - 1 tspn crushed
green chillies - 4 slit ( vary  based on spiciness)





Procedure:

dry fry the saffron and crush into powder using a spoon. add warm milk to it and mix well . You can see the color absorbed by the milk. Keep it aside for 10 mins. The flavour and color will spread well.

Clean and soak the basmati rice for 30 mins. Soaking the rice will make the rice grain longer once cooked.

cut the onions into long slices.

In a handi add oil and ghee. add all the biryani masala. fry for a minute till the chillies are fried.
add the nuts and fry them for a minute.
add onions and fry them till transluscent. no need to caramelize them.
 add the ginger garlic paste and pudina and fry for a minute .

add water and salt, check for the taste of salt at this time.
add the saffron milk and stir well.

Once the water starts to boil add the rice and keep in medium flame for 15 mins.
Once half cooked switch over to low flame .

Alternatively can use pressure cooker/ electric rice cooker to cook the rice.