VEGETABLE BIRYANI
Ingredients
For Soaking Rice
Vegetables and spices
For Cooking Rice
For Biryani Curry/Gravy
For Assembling and Layering
Instructions
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Soaking Rice
Pick and rinse basmati rice in running water till the water runs clear of starch. Soak the rice in 1 cup of water for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes drain the rice and set aside.
When the rice is soaking prep all the veggies and other ingredients. Set aside.
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Cooking Rice
Take a deep bottomed pan. Add water and heat the water on a high flame.
When the water becomes hot, add the salt and following spices: tej patta, green cardamoms, cloves, black cardamom, cinnamon, strands of mace.
Bring the water to a boil. Then add the soaked basmati rice. Just gently stir with a spoon or fork, after you add the soaked rice. Do not reduce the flame and continue to cook the rice grains.
The rice has to be ¾ᵗʰ cooked. The grains should have a slight bite to them when cooked. The rice should not be fully cooked.
Drain the rice in a colander. Gently fluff and keep aside.
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Making Vegetable Curry/Gravy
In a pan, heat ghee. Add the following spices – shahjeera, tej patta, green cardamoms, cloves, black cardamom and cinnamon. Sauté the whole spices till they crackle.
Now add the onions. Stir and sauté them on a low to medium flame. Add a pinch of salt to quicken the cooking process.
When the onions are cooking, take 1 cup fresh curd (yogurt) in a bowl and whisk the curd with a spoon or wired whisk till it become smooth.
Sauté the onions till they become golden brown or caramelize. Then add the ginger-garlic paste and sliced green chillies. You can also finely chop the ginger-garlic.
Sauté till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away. Add the turmeric and red chili powder. Stir and mix well. Next add the chopped veggies. Sauté for a minute or two.
Lower the heat and add the whisked curd (yogurt). Stir and mix well as soon as you add the curd. Then add ½ cup water in the pressure cooker. For cooking in a pan, add ¾ cup water.
Season with salt and mix and cook until the vegetables are tender. Don’t overcook the vegetables.
Warm 4 to 5 tablespoons milk in a small pan. Add ¼ teaspoon of saffron strands. Stir and keep aside. Simmer the vegetable biryani gravy without the lid, till the vegetables are tender.
If there is too much of water or stock in the gravy, then simmer until some of the water evaporates and dries up. Note that the vegetable gravy should have a medium or slightly thick consistency and should not be watery.
Do a taste test and check the salt in the vegetable gravy. Add more if needed.
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Dum Cooking
Now layer the vegetable in a tilting pan and top with rice, add some mint, green chillies, brown onion and coriander leaves. Sprinkle some saffron milk and ghee.
Repeat the layer twice and cover the tilting pan and let it dum for few minutes.
Garnish with some brown onion, mint leaves green chillies and ghee. Serve hot with Raita.