Wash and clean the rice and soak with water for 30 minutes. Drain before using.
Cover the soy nuggets with boiling water and about a teaspoon of salt and soak for 30 minutes. Drain and squeeze all the water out before using it.
Heat the ghee (or oil) in a kadai pan. Add the cummin seeds, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. Sate for a few minutes.
Add the ginger and continue to saute. Then add the tomatoes along with the Turmeric, kashmiri chili powder and coriander powder, mixing well. Cook and stir for several minutes until the tomatoes are soft (if using fresh) and the oil separates.
Add the garam masala and the vegetable seasoning. Mix well then add the drained and squeezed soy nuggets, cooking and stirring about eight mintues for the soy nuggest to absorb the flavors.
At some point you will want to pick out the big pieces of spices, and now is a good time. It becomes more difficult after adding the rice and water, especially if there are a lot of small spice pieces floating around.
Add the drained rice and mix well, then add 2 cups of water and salt. Bring to boil, stiringt to mix. Then cover with a tight lid. (I use a rather loose fitting lid with a kitchen towel wrapped around it.) Lower the heat to very low and cook, cover, undisturbed, for 13 - 15 minutes. Remove from heat, leave covered undiscturbed for another 10 minutes. Then removed the lid, fluff to mix and serve.
Notes
Lockdown Lunch #78Devin took this Spicy Rice with Soy Nuggets, mixed it with some leftover cooked macaroni, grated cheddar cheese, some canned sweet corn, a generous dollop of ketchup, and mixed this all into his Lockdown Lunch #78. It looked and smelled a lot like Hamburger Helper Meal.He loved it! But pickin's are pretty slim here in Vrindavan these days, so it's all relative.