Tahari- Dum Cooked Basmati Rice With Black Spices

Utensil Required : A wide mouthed, heavy bottomed pot with lid/kadhai with lid

Ingredients (Serves 4)

1/4 cup oil (canola/vegetable/any unflavored oil)
3/4 cup thinly sliced red onions 
2 bay leaves
2" cinnamon stick
2 black cardamom, cracked open (substitute with 5 green cardamom)
3/4 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
3/4  cup cauliflower florets
1 large russet potato, peeled and  cut into 1/2" cubes
1 cup basmati rice
1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp garam masala 
Salt to taste
2.5 cups water (or as required for cooking your rice variety, check package instructions)
Chopped cilantro for garnish
Note:- Cut the potato & cauliflower florets such that they cook perfectly in the time it takes rice to cook. 

Spices to be soaked in 1/2 cup water for 30 minutes:-

2 tbsp whole black peppercorns 
4 whole dry red chillies (adjust to tolerance)
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1/2 tsp whole coriander seeds
4 whole cloves
2 " fresh ginger shoot, peeled & crushed roughly
Method:- Pick & wash rice 2-3 times under running water. Set aside. Thaw the peas if using frozen. Tip the soaked spices above into a blender jar & churn to make a smooth mix. We dont want a too fine or too coarse textures here, just ensure that the black pepper seeds are crushed properly.Transfer to a bowl & set aside.

Heat oil in pot/kadhai on medium. Once the oil is smoking, add the sliced onions. Cook the onions till they are light brown. About 8 minutes. Next, reduce heat to low & add the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, black cardamom & the ground spice mix to the pot.

Cook the spices with regular stirring till you see oil separating on sides of the pot. About 6-8 minutes. At this point, add the vegetables along with washed rice to the pot. Gently combine everything to mix well.Remove from heat & pour the water required for cooking the rice into the pot, give everything a stir , add salt to taste & let the rice soak for 15 minutes.
Once the rice has soaked, transfer the pot to medium heat. Cover the pot & bring to a boil, reduce the heat to very low, and let cook for 10-12 minutes (or the time required for your rice variety to get 95% cooked). Turn off the heat, open the lid, add the grated nutmeg  & garam masala, gently mix with a wooden spoon & leave to steam on its own over the stove for another 5-8 minutes, undisturbed.

While the rice is steaming, heat up a cast iron skillet(enough to hold the cooking pot).Once the skillet is hot, reduce heat to very low, transfer the rice pot over the skillet & let the rice cook for another 10 minutes on dum (indirect slow cooking technique).We want the bottom layer of rice to crisp up & burnt (almost). 
After 10 minutes, fluff up with a fork , garnish the rice with chopped cilantro. Serve with plain yogurt & salad.