Vegetable Biriyani:


I love to experiment with new recipes and methods for Pulavs and Biriyanis. When I saw Radhika's Hyderabadi Dum biriyani (made with meat), I thought why not try the same with veggies. That's it, I ended up with a delicious, easy Veggie biriyani. There are 2 ways to prepare this - Either partially cook rice and gravy separately and bake them in the oven or pressure cook. I used the first method. Do give it a try!

Ingredients:

Basmati rice - 1 cup
Veggies - (Carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, beans, peas)
Onions - 1 (thinly sliced)
Green chillies - 2 or 3 (cut into thin long slices)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbspn
Thick curd - 1 cup
Chilli powder - 1 tspns
Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tspns
Garam masala - 1/2 tspn
Cloves - 5
Cinnamon stick - 2
Cardamom - 3
Bay leaf - 1
Salt

Chop all veggies and put them in a large bowl. Add curd, green chillies, ginger garlic paste, chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf, little salt and mix well. Set aside for 30 minutes.


Wash the rice and cook the rice till 3/4th done. Heat a pan, add ghee/oil, add onions and fry for 5 mins. Add the veggies mixture and let it cook 3/4 th. Preheat the oven to 375 degree F.
Take an oven safe dish, spray little oil on the bottom and the sides. This prevents the rice from sticking to the dish while baking. Spread a layer of rice, followed by a layer of veggies.
Repeat and end with top layer of veggies. Cover the dish with foil and bake for about 15 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot!

Alternately:

Heat a pressure cooker, add ghee/oil. Add onions and fry for 5 mins. Add the veggies mixture and partially close the lid. Let it cook for 6 to 7 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water and salt. Once the water starts to boil, add the rice and cook for 2 whistles. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot!