Veg Biryani

A tried and tested recipe that tempts you no end….nutrition rich with a variety of vegetables, filled with fresh flavours from spices, mint, coriander leaves et al. Are you feeling green with envy? Dash to your kitchen and cook this dainty dish…

Dish Type:  South Indian Vegetarian Rice Variety

Preparation Time:  15 min

Cooking time:  45 min

Serves:  8 to 10 persons

Ingredients

For cooking:

Basmati rice                1000 gms

Water                          1.5 litres

Cinnamon                    2 nos. of 1” long piece

Clove                           3 nos.

Cardamom                  3 nos.

Ghee                            ½ tsp

For deep frying:

Ghee                            2 tbsps

Cashewnuts                 50 gms

Raisins                         50 gms

Oil                               2 tbsps

Onion                          2 nos. (Chop them into round slices)

For grinding:

Ginger                         1” pc

Garlic                          2 nos.

Green chilly                 1 no.

Onion                          1 no. (chop it into cubes)

Tomato                        1 no. (chop it into cubes)

For sautéing:

Oil                               50 ml              

Onion                          2 nos. (fine chop)

Tomato                        1 no. (fine chop)

Aloo                             1 no. (big size)

Carrot                          ¼ kg

Beans                          ¼ kg

Peas                             ¼ kg

Dhania powder           1 tsp

Jeera powder              1 tsp

Chilly powder              1 tsp

Masala powder           1 tsp

Curd                            ¾ litre

For garnishing:

Deep fried cashewnuts, raisins and onions

Fine chopped fresh coriander leaves or mint leaves or other greens like oregano, rosemary, holy basil and lettuce.

Directions

Wash basmati rice thoroughly. Drain the water and keep it aside for about 10 min.

Wash all vegetables (except onions and garlic) and greens in salt water.

Peel the skin of ginger, onions, garlic, carrots and fresh peas. Remove the ends of beans and the fibre at their sides. Chop onions, tomatoes and fresh mint/coriander leaves finely.  Chop aloo, carrots and beans lengthwise diagonally. Keep them all aside separately.

Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Deep fry cashewnuts till they turn golden brown and raisins till they swell. Remove and keep them aside for garnishing at the end. To the cooker, now add oil and deep fry round slices of onions till they turn brown and crisp. Remove and use them for garnishing later.

Now put cumin seeds on to the remaining oil in the cooker. When they splutter add cardamom, clove, cinnamon and fry lightly. Now add the soaked basmati rice into the cooker along with ghee, cardamom, clove, cinnamon and water. Pressure cook upto 2 whistles and switch off the burner. Let it cool.

While the rice is getting cooked….make a paste of ginger, garlic and green chilly and keep aside. Remove the paste and now grind 1 onion and 1 tomato.

Heat oil in a kadai. Put ginger garlic paste, then chopped onions and a pinch of turmeric. Fry for a little while till the onions turn soft and brown in colour. Now add fine chopped tomato, onion tomato paste and a pinch of salt. Fry for some time. You will see onions and tomatoes nicely blending. Now add chopped carrots, beans, aloo and peas and continue sautéing. Add salt, dhania, jeera, chilly and masala powders. Let the flavours of the spices sink into the vegetables. Add curd, mix well and let it boil for a minute or two. Now transfer the contents of the kadai to another bowl. In this kadai, put a part of cooked basmati rice. Over this, put a part of the fried vegetable mix. Repeat the process 2 more times. Mix well. Cover the kadai with a lid and place some weight on top of the lid so that the lid is covered tight. Let the contents get cooked for another 10 min. on low flame. Now remove the lid.

Garnish with deep fried onions, cashewnuts and raisins and fine chopped fresh coriander/mint leaves or any other greens.

Vegetable Biryani is now ready… head straight to the dining table!

Recipe Contributor: Smt. Saraswathi