I used left over rice (sona masoori variety) but you can also prepare and use freshly cooked rice. Cook 2 cups of rice in your preferred way and set aside 4 cups of cooked rice. Make sure the rice is in room temperature.

Soak the ¼ of rajma beans overnight and pressure cook it by adding ¼ tsp of salt for 3 whistles. We want the beans to be soft but not mushy. If you are using canned beans, rinse it and set aside.

Clean and chop all the veggies.

Heat the pan and add oil.

Once the oil is hot the bay leaves, chopped chilli and garlic.

Saute for couple of minutes till garlic turns light brown and then add the onions and celery together and cook until the onion turns translucent.

Now add the bell peppers and tomatoes and cover and cook for 3 minutes.

Add the dried herbs (oregano and thyme) , sugar, salt, soy sauce, cayenne pepper and paprika and mix well. And then add the vegetable broth and cook for 2 minutes. We want the vegetables to be al-dente so make sure you do not overcook the veggies.

Finally add the rice, chopped cilantro and beans. Mix them well and cook until the rice absorbs all the water. It took me about 5 minutes.

That’s it. Veggie Jambalaya is ready. :-) Add some grated cheese on top or if you want to keep it vegan ignore and serve it hot with some tortilla scoops.