Rinse seeraga rice ( jeera rice -small grain rice) couple of times and soak for 30 minutes.

Wash 200- 250 grams of button mushooms , slice them ans set aside. Thinly slice 2 medium size onions ,chop 1 medium to large size tomatoes and set aside. Clean greens , chop and set aside.

In a pan, dry roast mace, cardamom, peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, cloves, black stone flower, fennel seeds and shahi jeera till aromatic.

Don’t brown spices, immediately transfer the spices into a blender or a plate, let it cool down. If you keep the spices in the same pan after roasting, the heat in the pan may further brown the spices, so it’s important to transfer the dry roasted spices into another plate.

When spices cool down blend roasted spices into a semi fine powder.

Transfer the spice powder into a bowl and set aside.

In the same blender, add 2 quartered onions, 10 medium size garlic cloves, 1-1.5” inch ginger, 3-4 green chillies and blend to a smooth paste.

Take a pressure cooker, heat oil and ghee together. For vegan, you can skip ghee/ clarified butter and use only vegetable oil.

Add Bay leaf and 10 -12 cashews, fry till cashews turn golden brown.

Now add in onion garlic ginger paste and sliced onions and fry till raw smell goes off completely. It takes approximately 3-4 minutes on medium heat.

Add chopped mint and coriander leaves, mix well everything.

Now add turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and blend spice powder , mix well everything. Spices mix well with oil and moisture from onions and greens , this prevents burning of spices.

Tip in chopped tomatoes and mushrooms, give a quick saute for 1-2 minutes. Let rawness of mushroom and tomato goes off, no need to soften mushroom here.

Now add in 1 cup coconut milk (medium thick , not thick nor thin ) . Mix well everything.

Add 1.5 cups of hot water.

Now add soaked rice, stir once everything.

Add salt to taste. When it starts to bubble and boil, cover pressure cooker lid and cook on medium heat for 1 whistle.

Allow pressure to settle down on its own. Remove whistle weight from pressure cooker lid and then remove the pressure cooker lid.

Add 2 tablespoon of chopped coriander leaves and freshly squeeze lime juice.

Mix well everything and serve Mushroom Pulao with carrot or potato raita.