Vegetable Biryani
Vegetable Biryani is a healthy and delicious Indian recipe for vegetable and rice layered feast. Just like goat or lamb Biryani, you can serve it with a simple Yogurt Raita, or for special times pair it with Hyderabadi Bagare Baingan, Hyderabadi Mirch Salan or Tomato Kut.
Author: Birjis Adeni Rashed
Cuisine: Indian
Recipe type: Main Course
Serves: 5
Prep time:
Total time:
Ingredients
- 5 c basmati rice
- 2 onions
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 carrots
- 2 potatoes
- 1 c cauliflower florets
- 3⁄4 c peas
- 2 T coconut slivers or dessicated coconut
- 2 jalapeno peppers
- 1 t ginger paste
- 1 t garlic paste
- 1⁄2 c cilantro
- 1⁄2 c mint leaves
- 1 T cumins seeds
- 1⁄2 c lemon juice
- 1 c yogurt
- 1 t garam masala(cardamom,cinnamon, cloves, caraway )
- 1 T red pepper powder
- 1⁄2 t turmeric
- 1⁄2 T corriander seeds powder
- 1 t cumin powder
- 5 T oil
- 3 cinnamon
- 5 T cardamom
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 star aniseed
- 5 cloves
- 1 c slivered almonds
- 1⁄2 c sliced cashews
- 1 c beans 1 inch cut
- 2 salt( 1t for rice, 1 tfor vegetables add to taste)
- 1 pn saffron/ orange food color
- 1⁄2 c milk
Instructions
- In a thick based pot, warm the oil and add ginger and garlic pastes. Sauté till you smell its pleasant aroma. Add the thinly sliced onions and sauté till light brown. Next add the vegetables in a gradation of its cooking speed. First you add the potatoes, carrots and cauliflower since these take longer time to cook. When potatoes and carrots seem to be getting softer and cooked, add the beans, and green and red bell peppers and slit jalapeño peppers. When this starts to get soft, add the peas. Lastly sliced fresh coconut or desiccated coconut powder.
- While the vegetables are getting cooked, add the spices, red pepper powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric, salt, garam masala and cumin seeds. Sauté this together for some time and take care to only stir gently, to avoid mashing the vegetables. Next add the yogurt and lemon juice and cook on very low flame for a while till done.
- Alternatively in a large pot boil 10 to15 cups of water. Add cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamoms, star aniseed, bay leaves, caraway seeds and salt. When the water begins to boil, add the washed basmati riceand let it cook in the spiced boiling water. Gently stir, and when rice is half cooked drain the water with the help of a colander or large sieve and set aside.
- For the final process, you need a large aluminum oven baking tray. In this you first layer the rice followed by the vegetables and topped by another layer of rice. For color, mix saffron or orange food color in half cup warm milk and sprinkle on top. For coloring the other layers of rice, dig some holes in the rice every few inches apart with a spatula or rear end of a spoon and drizzle in the food color. Sprinkle some lemon juice and garnish with mint leaves, chopped cilantro, toasted cashews and almonds.
- Cover the top of the baking tray with thick layers of tin foil, making sure the tray is well covered from all sides. Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or more on 250 degrees. Instead of baking, this process can also be done on a stove top. But most importantly the pot should be a thick bottom pot and only cooked on low flame to avoid the vegetable biryani sticking to the base of the pot or burning.
- When serving the biryani, gently mix the vegetables and rice together, garnished with mint leaves, chopped cilantro, toasted cashews and almonds.
Serving Size
Serving size: 5
