This recipe confuses me in a number of ways.
First the simplest: It calls for adding the remaining spice powders in two places, steps 5 and 7.
One of my favorite food ethnicities is Indian, and in all my years of cooking and eating it there has always (with very rare exception) been one very important rule: Cook the spices. The difference in both taste and texture is what really what makes the food.
In my opinion, this is what you should be doing: In a small skillet heat a couple of tablespoons of oil until the oil is shimmering, the add the cumin seeds and fry until they become aromatic. Add the remaining spices; coriander powder, turmeric powder, chili powder and the gharam masala and cook about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Set this pan aside. In your cooking vessel, fry the onion and the chopped green chili until softened, then add the ginger-garlic paste, sauté just until aromatic, then add the tomato and the pan of cooked spices.
As far as your first question regarding boiling or pressure cooking the vegetables, not sure I understand why you would want to. Have you thought about cooking everything in the pressure cooker, including the chicken? If that sounds appealing then use the above method for the spices, onions and green chili, then add the veggies, water and, if using, the chicken (par-cooking the chicken can save time). This is the method I use when using a slow-cooker which should work for this.
As to question 3, go ahead and add salt at the beginning when adding the veggies, and the add more to taste after the major cooking. And yes to both of the final parts regarding the salt and the "greasy" layer (prefer the word "oily"). Adding salt early in the cooking process can make a lot of difference in both taste and texture, and the oily layer (which comes from the frying of the spices) carries a lot of flavor.
I hope this helps. Ask more if needed.
Not in my experience. The water will spread out through the pan and meat will still cook evenly, just slower. You shouldn't have this problem with most meats, but it can be a problem with chicken breasts in particular, and if you also have vegetables in the pan they can release a fair amount of water.
The basic problem with too much water releasing from meat (or anything else) when frying is that it reduces the temperature of the oil down to the boiling point of water. That kills the advantage oil has over water, that it's boiling point is much higher. (Higher in fact than the temperatures typically used in cooking. The bubbling you see when frying are caused by the vaporization of water.) That's what oil makes more efficient at heat transfer, it's temperature is higher. This also means that it still should cook evenly, just slower, because the oil will be at the same temperature as the water. You're basically just simmering the meat instead of frying it.
When this happens the simple solution is to temporarily turn up the heat. It takes a lot more energy to convert water into steam than it does to keep oil alone at a desired cooking temperature. You won't have to worry about burning anything, because the water in the pan will automatically regulate the temperature, keeping it at or below 100 C (212 F). Once enough of the water has been evaporated you'll start to hear normal frying sounds again and you can turn back the heat to normal.
Best Answer
In the general case, it is not possible.
As you cook meat past about 165 F, all of the proteins will have denatured and contracted, squeezing out moisture. This is what makes well done meat tough and stringy or rubbery. This process cannot really be reversed, although you can try to mask it with a sauce.
In the specific case of certain cuts--the ones famous for braises or barbecue, the "low and slow" cooking techniques--there is some hope, but it is a thin one depending on what you have been doing.
These cuts, the most active working parts of the animal such as the shoulders (chuck for beef or butt for pork) have a great deal of intramuscular fat, as well as connective tissue made of a protein called collagen.
Over time, when cooked slowly at temperatures of about 180 F, the collagen in the meat will turn into gelatin, which has a silky, smooth mouth feel, and the fat will lubricate the meat. They still have their proteins irreversibly dentures and tightened, but the gelatin and fat provide a new kind of moisture and unctuousness that is highly prized.
The cooking techniques for this (braising, barbecuing, slow roasting) are rarely employed for chops or steaks that you would do in the frying pan. They also simply don't have the collagen or the fat to make it possible. That is why they are better off with the higher temperature, faster cooking methods, but should not be overcooked, as you have discovered to your dismay.
Your best option is not to try to recover from this situation, which is very difficult to do, but rather to learn to prevent it:
Over time, you will learn to recognize when cuts are done to your liking by how they feel when you poke them with your finger (which is a pretty good indication of how done they are, based on how resilient they are), but the thermometer will be your guide until you build that experience.
Still, this will require that you adjust your expectations of what completely cooked meat looks like. Pork may still be a touch rosy, for example.