Channa Dhal Pulao (Brown Rice)

This is a recreation of a channa dhal pulao recipe, which wee had at a nearby Indian restaurant.  Since we liked this so much, I wanted to give it a try with brown rice. This version also turned out good. This pulao can be had with raitas and any spicy sides. Cooking time and the method is also very easy.

Ingredients:
1. Brown rice, 1 cup, washed and soaked for an hour.
2. Channa dhal 1/2, washed and soaked for an hour.
3. Fresh or dried peas, 1/2 cup. If dried peas are used, soak them overnight and cook them until tender.
4. Onion, 1 medium sized, diced.
5. Tomato, 1 small, diced.
6. Diced carrots, 1 cup.
7. Peppercorns, 1 teaspoon.
8. Cumin seeds,  1 teaspoon.
9. Bay leaf, 2.
10. Cinnamon, a small stick.
11. Ginger-garlic paste.
12. Salt as per taste.

Preparation:
Heat a pan with a tablespoon of oil. Once the oil turns hot, add the peppercorns, cumin seeds, bay leaves, and cinnamon and fry for a few seconds. Then add the diced onions and sauté for a few seconds until the onions are translucent. Add the ginger-garlic paste and the diced tomatoes now and sauté for a few more minutes until the tomatoes are cooked. Add the rice, channa dhal, peas, diced carrots along with the sautéed mixture and some salt and add 2 cups of water in a rice cooker and cook until the rice is done. This can also be cooked in a pressure cooker or on stove top.