Cook the veggies in a steamer, til they are soft.Take cooked veggies into a bowl and slightly mash them using potato masher.
Add rest of the ingredients and make a sticky yet no so soft mixture.Grease your palm with oil and start shaping into the balls.Heat the oil on medium heat for frying and fry them till they are golden brown and crisp from all the sides.
Then remove it and keep it aside.

For cooking of rice: Wash the rice, then soak it in warm water for 30 minutes. Cook the rice until almost done. Drain remaining water and set aside.

Now add oil to a kadhai, add the finely chopped onions. Fry till they are light brown then add the ginger and garlic pastes. Fry for a minute. Add all the spices, coriander, cumin, red chilli powder, garam masala, turmeric and fry them for 2-3 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and mix well. Fry the gravy until the oil begins to rise to the top.

Add 1 cup of warm water to the gravy and season with salt to taste. Gently add the veg kofta balls now. Do not stir for at least the next 5 minutes.Stir gently so as not to break the balls. Reduce the gravy as you required.

Take a large deep dish (it must have it's own cover) and grease lightly with cooking oil. Layer the rice and Koftas.
Pour the saffron infused milk all over the top of the last layer of rice.
Garnish with the crispy fried onions (optional)and chopped coriander leaves. Cover the dish and seal tightly.