brown basmati, mung dal pilau

My leftover rice game has always been weak.  My attempts at transforming cooked rice into a biryani inevitably turn into an overcooked rice dish.  I should also say, I'm not entirely sure about the difference between biryani, pilau, fried rice, etc.  So, my terms might be off.  

So, I had some brown rice (rice cooker, basmati, about 3 cups) and wanted some veggies and beans with it.  I simmered some mung dal in water (50 g beans in 180 g water) until tender but not falling apart.  I rinsed the dal in cold water and kept it on the side.  I also prepped: fine diced carrots, chopped button mushrooms, sliced green onions, made a puree of garlic/ginger/serrano, chopped cilantro.

   

Given my history with overcooked rice in dishes like this, I thought adding rice last might be best, here's how it went down: Turmeric, cumin, coriander, mustard and paprika were warmed in 2T ghee until the mustard seeds started popping.  Then added serrano/ginger/garlic puree and let it cook a few minutes.  Then sauteed carrots then shrooms, green onions, pre cooked mung dal, tamarind extract, cilantro and finally brown rice.  After the rice addition, I only cooked it until the rice was warmed through.  

Finally, a rice, veg, bean dish that wasn't mushy.  I'll make this again for sure.