I guess Vegetable Biryani is a favorite dish to most of us. It's good taste and aroma is driven from its ingredients which includes most of the spices. There are many methods for preparing Veg biryani. Here I present a simple method which is best suited for amateurs.
Ingredients:
Rice - 1.5 cup
Carrot -1 no
Beans - 7 nos
Potato - 2 no
Peas - 1/4 cup
Onion - 1 medium size, sliced
Tomato - 1 medium size, chopped
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 3 cloves
Coriander leaves - 4 string
Curry leaves - 1 string
Butter/Oil - 2 tablespoon
Poppy seeds - 1 teaspoon
Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Bay leaves - 1/2 leaf
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch
Green chilli - 1
Cardamon - 3
Red chilli powder - 2 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Water - 3 cups
Method:
1) Wash carrot, beans, potato and peas well. Cut them along in an inch length slices.
2) Grind ginger, garlic, coriander leaves, poppy seeds, 1/2 teaspoon of fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds, 1 clove, 1/2 Cinnamon stick, green chilli and cardamon together in a mixer / food processor and make a paste out of them. While grinding don't add water. If required add only a tablespoon of water. Keep this paste aside.
3) Wash the basmati rice twice or thrice till the water used for washing becomes clear.
4) Take a pan and add 1/2 tablespoon of oil in it. Add the washed rice and gently fry the rice for a minute. Keep aside the fried rice.
5) Take a steam cooker and add the remaining oil in it.
6) Add the remaining ingredients namely fennel seeds, cumin seeds, clove,1/2 Cinnamon stick and curry leaves. Add the mustard seeds and allow them to splutter.
7) Add onion and saute them till they turn translucent.
8) Add tomato and saute them till they are mashed completely.
9) Add the well ground masala paste (as said in step 2) with this and saute them again for few minutes. Make sure the flame is in medium / low level.Otherwise the masala paste might get burnt.
10) Add vegetables and sprinkle handful of water. Allow the vegetables to cook for sometime. It is enough if the vegetables are even half-cooked.
11) Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. Mix it well.
12) Add roasted rice (as said in step 4) and then add 1 and 3/4 cups of water and a cup of coconut milk to it.
13) Mix well. Now it is the apt time to taste and see if anything is missing or gone wrong. Adjust salt or extra spice as it suits your taste.
14) Close the steam cooker using its lid and wait until it produces three whistles or less according to your rice type. (I usually wait for 3 whistles for the basmati rice).
15) When pressure releases from the cooker, open the lid and mix the rice gently.
16) Serve the vegetable biryani with raitha.
Note:
1) You can add any vegetable of your choice for Biryani.
2) I would suggest to follow the Basmathi rice and water ratio as instructed in the rice pack to get proper results. I usually follow 1:1 for rice and water for biryani for the rice what I use.
