Vegetable Biriyani

I make Vegetable Biriyani only once in a while. It’s mostly made when I have vegetarian guests. For me and my husband, it’s either Fish or Chicken Biriyani. Here is my recipe for making a Simple Vegetable Biriyani. You can use any of the following vegetables for Biriyani – Potatoes, Green Beans, Carrots, Cauliflowers, Green peas and even Beetroot. Avoid mushy vegetables like Brinjal, Okra (Ladies Finger), Cabbage and so on.

Vegetable Biriyani

Ingredients

For the Rice

1. Long grain Basmati rice – 2 cups
2. Oil – 1 tsp
3. Biriyani Masala Powder – 1/2 tsp
4. Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
5. Water – as required
6. Salt – to taste

For the Vegetable Masala Gravy

1. Chopped Vegetables – 2 to 3 cups ( I used 1 carrot, 1 potato, a few cauliflower florets and a few Beans)
2. Cashew Halves – 1/4 cup
3. Raisins – 1/4 cup
4. Cinnamon – 1″ piece
5. Cloves – 4
6. Cardamom – 2
7. Fennel Seeds – 1/2 tsp
8. Bay leaves – 2
9. Thinly sliced Onions – 2 medium sized
10. Diced Tomatoes – 1 medium
11. Slit Green Chillies – 4
12. Chopped Cilantro – 1/4 cup
13. Chopped Mint leaves – 1/4 cup
14. Ginger Garlic Paste – 2 tbsp
15. Kashmiri Chilly Powder – 1 tsp
16. Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
17. Biriyani Masala Powder – 2 tbsp (Any brand, I use Eastern Biriyani masala)
18. Yogurt – 3/4 cup
19. Lemon Juice – 2 tbsp
20. Salt- to taste
21. Ghee/Cooking oil – 3 tbsp

Method

1. Soak Basmathi rice in water for around 30-45 minutes.
2. Peel and chop all the vegetables to bite sized pieces. Don’t make the pieces too small.
3. Boil the Basmati rice in atleast 5 cups of water with a little salt, 1/2 tsp biryani masala, a pinch of turmeric and 1 tsp oil, till each grain is separate and 3/4 cooked but not fully cooked. Add more water, if needed so that the rice doesn’t stick together. Drain excess water and keep the rice aside.
4. Heat a big non stick pan or wok and add 3 tablespoons of oil or ghee.
5. Fry cashews and raisins until the cashews are lightly brown and the raisins become plump. Drain and keep aside.
6. To the same oil, add fennel seeds, cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamom and cloves. Saute for 2 minutes.
7. Then add the sliced onions and saute till they begin to brown.
8. Add the slit green chillies and chopped tomatoes along with salt and cook  till the tomatoes are pulpy and mashed.
9. Sprinkle the cilantro and mint leaves.
10. Add the ginger garlic paste and stir fry for 2 minutes.
11. Next, add the all the chopped vegetables and saute for a few minutes.
12. Reduce heat and add 1 tbsp of biriyani masala powder, 1 tsp kashmiri chilly powder and 1/2 tsp turmeric and saute for a minute.
13. Blend 1 cup of yogurt with little water(optional) and add it to the pan along with salt and mix well. Allow it to simmer for a while.
14. Cover and cook the vegetables in the the masala gravy for around 10 minutes. Keep the vegetable masala gravy aside.
15. Meanwhile preheat oven to 350 degree F. Apply some ghee or oil on a baking dish.
16. Layer it with the vegetable gravy and semi cooked rice alternatively. Sprinkle lemon juice in between and add the fried raisins and cashews.
17. Cover with an aluminuim foil and bake for 30 minutes.
18. It’s best to keep the biriyani for at least 2-3 hours before serving so that all flavors are absorbed.
19. Mix the biriyani gently and serve with any Raitha, Pickle and Pappad.