Kheema Khichdi

I am a sucker for anything made with rice. This recipe is in my head for a month or so. I finally decided to make it. I worked at an Indian restaurant when I was a junior in college for a month ( The owner turned out to be a pig so had to quit. That's a whole anuthe' story). I wanted to gain some experience in cooking, so I went and asked him to give me a job and worked for less than minimum wage ( talk about getting your priorities wrong:)).

Any who, they had this kheema khichdi on their menu and it tasted good. I never knew how they made it but this is what I could come up with. You can probably do the same with chicken or even with vegetables too if you are a vegetarian.

Ingredients:
Kheema - 1 lb
Rice - 3 cups
Moong dal ( pesarapappu) - 1.5 cups soaked in warm water for an hour
Red onions - 1 large sliced
Tomatoes - 2 medium - sliced
Bay leaves - 4
Cloves - 8
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Cardamom - 6 pieces
Cumin Seeds - 1tsp.
Turmeric - 1 tsp.
Red Chilli Powder - 2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
Garam Masala - 2 tsp + 2 tsp
salt - to taste
oil - as needed

Grind the following ingredients to a paste:
Garlic - 4 cloves
Ginger - 2 inch piece
Fresh grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - 4 to 6 depending on your spice level
Mint leaves - handful
Coriander leave - handful
water - 1/2 cup

Procedure:

Heat oil in a deep pan(This should be big enough to make the entire khichdi). Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, cumin seeds and bay leaves.
Add onions and saute them till they are translucent.
Add turmeric and salt just for the onions.
Add the ground masala paste to the onions and fry for few minutes till the raw smell is gone. Add kheema to this mixture.
Add red chilli powder, half of garam masala, coriander powder and mix well.
Add one cup of water and tomatoes and cook till meat is tender.
Add salt to this, the soaked moong dal and rice.
Add 4 cups of water and cover witha tight lid till water starts to boil.
Then stir once, check for seasonings ( adjust if needed), add rest of garam masala and turn the flame to low.

Cook till rice is done:)