Vegetable Pilaf in Gujarati

Who says vegetable dishes are not tasty, this pilaf is super tasty it is full of Indian spices and vegetable as well as bite size potatoes.
Ing:
2 cups rice washed and soaked for about half an hour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion diced in small pieces
4 potatoes peeled, washed and diced in small pieces
salt to taste
1 cinnamon stick
5 to 6 pepper corns
3 to 4 bay leaves
4 to 5 whole cardamom pots
2 dried whole red chilli peppers
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
2 cups mixed vegetables of your choice
1 tsp ginger and garlic
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
2 cups very hot water
Method:
In a sauce pan start with warming up the olive oil once it's a little hot add the onions and saute for a minute or two, next add the bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom pods, dried red chili peppers, cumin, potatoes, turmeric powder and ginger and garlic. Make sure you stir all the ingredients really well, keep stirring it and add the diced tomatoes as well. You want to saute this for about 5 min until the mixture becomes a little dry. Next add the salt and the vegetables stirring constantly until the mixture becomes a little dry. Once the mixture a little dry add the rice without the water and stir. I usually use boiled water so after it has been mixed well add the hot water and bring it to a rolling boil, decrease the temperature to med low and cover for about 30 to 40 min or until the rice is fully cooked.
Enjoy!