Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Vegetable Biryani

So we learned how to make great chicken biryani in my previous post. Now we turn to vegetable biryani. I love this recipe. Being vegetarian, I'm glad that people like the chicken biryani, but really, I'd rather make up my own mind by tasting. And that's why I love the vegetarian version - and it's really delicious.


Vegetable Biryani


1/4 cup Peas
1 Carrot, peeled and chopped
10 Green Beans, chopped
1 Potato, chopped
1/2 bunch Mint Leaves
2 Onions, sliced
2 Green Chillies, slit
1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
1 tbsp Biryani Masala
1/4 tsp Chilli Powder
1 cup Basmati Rice
1 tbsp Ghee
1 tbsp Oil
1 piece Cinnamon
2 Tomatoes
2 Cardamom
1 Bay Leaf
1/4 tsp Fennel Seeds
2 Cloves
Salt, to taste

Heat the oil and ghee in a pan. Add the cloves, fennel, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaf. Saute for a minute or two. Add the sliced onion and green chillies and continue to saute for a minute. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw smell of the paste disappears. Add the mint leaves and saute for a minute.

Add the tomatoes to the mixture and continue to saute. Add the vegetables, biryani masala, chilli powder and fry for five to ten minutes. Add 1 3/4 cups of water and let it come to a boil. Add the salt and mix. Add the basmati rice and stir to combine. Close the pan and allow to cook until rice is tender. Keep checking to make sure there is enough water. The rice should be just tender and not mushy.

When done, mix together to combine the rice, the spices and the vegetables in the pan. Serve hot with yogurt.

*Biryani Masala: This is available in most Indian stores. But you could also make it at home. The spice powder is a mixture of red chilli powder, coriander powder, cloves, cinnamon, aniseed, cardamom, ginger, garlic, onion, star anise and salt. Roast these ingredients on a dry pan and then grind to a smooth powder.

3 comments:

Priya Suresh said...

Delicious and inviting vegetable briyani,yumm!

Chitra said...

I too make the same way..
looks yummy.

Carmina said...

I'll follow your recipe to the last detail and hopefully i can have it done perfectly. 'll try it and share with my family.