½cupRed onionsliced + handful sliced onions for frying
1Bay leaf
½inchCinnamon stick
½teaspoonCumin seeds
Salt to taste
Instructions
First cook the rice. To get 3 cups of cooked rice you will need 1 cup of raw rice. If you have leftover rice, you can use that as well.
Wash mint leaves very well.
Take mint leaves, green chilies, ginger and garlic to the blender. And grind it into a smooth paste adding very little water.
Heat the oil in pan on medium heat.
Once hot add cashews and fry it till it gets golden brown. Drain and remove it to a plate.
Now add handful of sliced onions in the same oil and fry it till it get golden brown and crispy. This step is purely optional. I wanted to make it like biryani style so I have fried some. You can totally skip this.
Once browned remove it to the plate and keep it aside.
Now in the same oil, add bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Let it cook for few seconds.
Then add cumin seeds, let them sizzle.
Then add remaining sliced onion. Sprinkle salt and mix it. If your cooked rice has salt in it then be careful while adding salt here. Let it cook till it gets translucent or pink.
Then add mint paste. Let it cook for 1-2 minutes and all the moisture will evaporates.
Add cooked rice. Mix it very gently so rice grains do not break.