Vegetable Biryani

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

I love rice & I am a complete one-pot meal person. Vegetable Biryani is one such dish that I'd love to indulge in ocassionally. Infused with a lot of vegetables & Indian herbs & fresh spices, its one of the finest representatives of Indian cuisine.


As with any popular recipe, there are several versions of preparing Biryani. I myself have three versions of this dish which is make alternately.

The one that I have for you today is the simplest & easiest of the three. I usually make this version when I need to whip up a good meal in a hurry. The other version is that of my mother's which I grew up with & is a family favourite. I shall be posting that soon.

The list of ingredients is a little long. Don't be petrified by looking at the list. It's fairly simple to make.

Here is how I made it,

Preparation Time
: 40 minutes

Ingredient
s:
  • Basmati/Long grained rice - 1 1/2 cups
  • A pinch of saffron dissolved in a tbsp of warm milk
  • 2 red onions - sliced into thin strips
  • 1 green bell pepper - cubed
  • 1 carrot - cut into long strips
  • 2 potatoes - cubed
  • 1/2 cup french beans - cut into long strips
  • 1 cup cauliflower florets
  • 1 cup green peas - fresh/frozen
  • 2 tomatoes - chopped
  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 3 green chillies - slit length wise
  • A pinch of turmeric
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 3 green cardamoms
  • 2 cloves
  • A small stick of cinnamon
  • 4 -5 black peppercorns
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp kitchen king masala
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • Salt as per taste
  • Oil
  • Juice of half a lemon

Method:

  • Wash rice in several changes of water. soak in water for 30 mins
  • Pressure cook the rice with saffron in 1 1.2 cups of water. Oncc done, spread rice on a large tray & let it cool completely.
  • Heat Oil in a heavy bottomed pan, Add cumin seeds & let it pop & splutter
  • Add ginger-garlic paste, Bay leaves , turmeric & green chillies
  • Add green cardamoms, cinnamon sick, cloves, star anise, peppercorns & saute for a while.
  • Add onions & saute till they turn transparent.
  • Add chopped tomatoes & saute for a while.
  • Add all the dry powders except kitchen king masala & garam masala
  • Saute till oil separates.
  • Add potatoes & carrots & cook till almost done.
  • Add french beans & cauliflower florets & cook till tender. At this stage you may require more oil for cooking.
  • Add green bell pepper & green peas & saute until tender
  • Add yogurt & mix well. bring it to a boil. Add Garam Masala, kitchen king masala & salt as per your taste
  • Add cooked rice, squeeze lemon juice. Mix well & garnish with chopper cilantro

Serve with onion raita or any gravy of your choice. Enjoi !!!

I thoroughly enjoyed playing around with the spices & inhaling the aroma that emanated from the kadhai . . .

We enjoyed this with simple onion raita & Spicy Potato Wedges on the side. We licked our plates clean & put a delicious end to a great day ! ! !

This goes to Srivalli's Rice Mela ! !

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