Vegetable Biryani
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Serves: 4 - 5 Persons
Ingredients:
- Basmati rice – 1 cup
- Mixed vegetables, diced (carrots, beans, capsicum, cauliflower) – 1 cup
- Onions grated – 2 large
- Crushed ginger – 2 tsp
- Crushed garlic – 2 tsp
- Potatoes (sliced into long strips) – 2 (large)
- Cabbage leaves (cut into large pieces) – 3 leaves
- Oil to deep fry
- Ghee – 2 tbsp
- Salt to taste
- Water – 2 cups
- Biryani masala – 4 tsp
- Green cardamom – 2
- Black cardamom – 2
- Cloves – 2
- Cinnamon – 1
- Mace – 2
- Peppercorns (coarsely crushed) – 4
- Curd – ½ cup
- Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
- Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
- Saffron – a few threads
- Milk – 2 tbsp
Method :
- Wash the rice properly and soak for 30 minutes.
- Cook it with water until just cooked.
- Drain it in a strainer or colander and keep aside.
- Dissolve saffron in milk and keep aside.
- Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds and let them crackle.
- Add the onions and let it sauté till it gets golden brown. Add the gingergarlic paste and stir fry for 1 minute.
- Now add all the vegetables except potato and add salt and turmeric powder and cook for few minutes or till the vegetables get tender.
- Deep fry the potato fingers till golden brown.
- Add to the vegetables and mix. Add the biryani masala or dry grind green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, 1 mace after dry roasting it for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the remaining mace, peppercorns and stir fry for 2-3 minutes on low flame.
- Add the beaten curd and mix properly.
- Put off the flame.
- In a thick bottomed pan arrange the layering in the following manner.
- Start with a rice layer. Spoon a tablespoon of cooked rice and spread it evenly in a thick bottomed pan.
- Now spread the vegetables. Cover it with a layer of rice. Sprinkle one spoon of saffron added with milk evenly on the rice.
- Now again repeat the layering. End with a rice layer.
- Now heat 1 tbsp of ghee and pour it over the rice.
- Cover tightly and cook on a tava or a pan for 30-35 minutes on low flame or cook it in a preheated oven at 160 degree Celsius for 20-25 minutes.
- Serve hot with raita or pudina lassi.
