Capsicum Rice

Ingredients :
Cooked rice - 3 cups (Each grain should be separate)
Bell Pepper/ Capsicum cut into 1/4" pieces (2)
Garlic (Optional) - 3 pods
Dry-Roasted unsalted peanuts - 1/3 cup
Bay Leaves
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Masala Powder :
Cloves - 4 florets
Cardamom - 4
Cinnamon - 1 1/2" piece
Corriander (Dhania) seeds - 4 tbsp
Jeera - 3 tbsp

Preparation :
1. Dry-roast the masala ingredients and grind to a coarse powder . (Note : this can also be made in bulk and stored for a while).
2. Mince garlic and keep aside.
3. In a pan, heat oil and add minced garlic and the bay leaves. (Flame should remain at medium)
4. Once the garlic oil mix starts emitting an aroma, add bell peppers and saute for about 5 minutes.
5. Now add the masala powder, mix thoroughly and saute for a further 5 minutes/ until the bell peppers get 70% cooked. Overcooking the bell peppers will cause the rice mix to become a paste, so try avoiding that.
6. Now add salt, and then rice and mix (while making sure that the rice grains don't get clumped together), and saute for a further 5 minutes.
7. Enjoy capsicum rice with Boondi Raita!