Vegetable Biryani is a great dum dish packed with vegetable and long grain Basmati rice layers flavoured with spices. It is best to have with a simple raita/curd side dish and fried onions. My version of it varies on how quick and healthy I want it to be. I am frying vegetables in this version, but you can shallow fry the veggies if you are looking for a slightly healthier version.

PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes
COOKING TIME: 40 minutes
SERVINGS: 2
DIFFICULTY SCALE: High

INGREDIENTS: 

  1. Basmati Rice – 1 cup
  2. Potatoes – 2 medium, diced
  3. Green beans – 10 – 12, diced
  4. Cauliflower – ½ floret
  5. Paneer – 8-10 cubes
  6. Carrot – 1, diced
  7. Onion – 4 medium, long slices
  8. Curd – ½ cup
  9. Corriander Powder – 1 tablespoon
  10. Chilli Powder – 1/2 teaspoon
  11. Rosewater – 1 teaspoons
  12. Saffron – few petals
  13. Milk – 5 teaspoons (to dissolve the saffron)
  14. Cloves – 3-4 pieces
  15. Bay leaf – 1 leaf
  16. Cinnamon stick – 1
  17. Black Cardamom/badi elaichi – 1
  18. Cumin seeds – ½ teaspoon
  19. Cashews – 7-8
  20. Raisins – 7-8
  21. Ghee/clarified butter – 2 tablespoons
  22. Oil – for frying
  23. Salt – to taste

Vegetable_Biryani 

RECIPE: 

  1. Soak basmati rice in water for 5-7 minutes.
  2. Add ghee to a pressure cooker and add bay leaf, cinnamon stick and black cardamom to it.
  3. Once the spices release their aromatic oils, add cashews, raisins and cumin seeds.
  4. Once the cumin seeds crackle, add the rice and water in the same proportion of the rice and close the lid and let the rice steam.
  5. Remove the pressure cooker from the flame and let the rice rest.
  6. In a skillet, add oil for frying and heat it up.
  7. Once the oil is hot, fry the onions and keep a little aside for garnish. Similarly, fry all the other veggies separately and keep them aside.
  8. Remove all the excess oil from the pan and leave a teaspoon of oil.
  9. Add cumin seeds to the pan and add some onions, curd, coriander powder, chilli powder and salt to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
  10. Take a heavy bottom pan and add the fried onions and curd mixture and a few fried veggies to create a layer. Then add a layer of cooked rice. Again add another layer of onions, veggies and curd. Add the last and final layer of rice on it.
  11. Mix saffron and milk in a bowl and add that and the rosewater on top.
  12. Seal the pan with its lid. Knead the dough and make a long snake-like shape and tie it to the lid to seal all the moisture of the pot within.
  13. Keep it on low flame for 10-15 minutes. Please ensure that the rice doesn’t burn.
  14. Garnish this with fried onions and serve with cucumber and onion raita.