Sri Lankan Buriyani Rice

Ingredients

2 Cups rice
preferably Basmathi
1 big tomato
A few green chillies...about 4
2 thin slices of root ginger
3 or 4 pips of garlic
2 big onions or a few red onions
1 tablesp of olive or vegetable oil
1 piece of lemon grass (sera)
1 inch piece of rampe and curry leaves
1 tblesp of white vinegar
1 teasp cumin powder
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
A few crushed cloves and cardamoms
5 small potatoes
1 bunch of fresh cilantro (corriander leaves)
1 inch piece of cinnamon
1/4 teasp of black pepper powder
salt to taste
Chicken or beef or mutton or shrimp
2 tablesp of yoghurt to marinate if its meat

Method

Grind cilantro leaves, green chillies, ginger, garlic and tomato with a little salt. Saute onions in a little olive or vegetable oil. Add cilantro paste and rest of the ingredients. Lastly add vinegar. Now add shrimp or marinated meat. (You may boil beef or mutton before hand to make it soft.) Add potato with 1/2 cup of water. (If the potatoes are big cut into large cubes).When the meat and potato get half cooked, wash and add rice and enough water for the rice to get cooked but not fully. Stir it now and then.When the water simmers down and when the rice is 3/4 cooked, transfer it into a baking tray or pyrex bowl and bake for about 15-20 mns. @ 250 degrees F. or for 10 mns. @ 325 degrees F.If desired garnish with boiled egg slices and cashew nuts before serving.Buriyani is nice when served with red onion salad or cilantro & mint leaf chutney.