Veg Biryani

These are the last few days of winter to enjoy all the nice juicy, crunchy and colourful veggies in their full glory. Although you can get frozen vegetables all throughout the year, it’s hard to get that prefect taste and crunch from them.

Veg Biryani is the ideal dish where you have the opportunity to enjoy a complete rice meal along with all the veggies of your choice. If you have grown tired from making the same Bengali fried rice and Basanti Pulao over and over...trust me, Veg Biryani can be a nice change from that regularity.

Veg Biryani

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 cups of fine Basmati Rice

2 large onions – thinly sliced

1 small cauliflower – cut into medium sized florets

2 medium carrots – cut into large cubed

3 medium potatoes – peeled and cut into halves

1 cup of green peas

6 green chillies – half slit  

½ cup of thick yogurt

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

3 tbsp Biryani Masala

¼ cup of pure desi ghee

2 medium cinnamon sticks

4 green cardamoms

4 cloves

2 bay leaves

2 tsp shah zeera / caraway seeds

Salt

1 tsp rose water

1 tsp kewra water / screwpine water

For the Biryani Masala :

1 large cinnamon stick

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

½ nutmeg

2 maces

3 green cardamoms

3 cloves

1 black cardamom

1 tsp shah zeera / caraway seeds

1 tsp whole black peppercorns

1 tsp whole white peppercorns

2 bay leaves

2 dry red chillies

1 start anise

Method:

To prepare the Biryani masala take all the spices listed under “For the Biryani Masala” and dry roast them on low flame for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes transfer the spices to a bowl and let it come to room temperature.

Then grind them to a fine powder.

Keep this masala in an airtight container and use accordingly.

Prepare the veggies:

Wash all the vegetables.

In a kadai heat some ghee and fry the potatoes and cauliflower separately until they become lightly golden from the sides. When they are done take them out of the kadai and keep aside.

If required, add some more ghee to the kadai and add cinnamon sticks, cloves, green cardamoms, bay leaves and black peppercorns to it.

Sauté for half a minute and then add the sliced onions.

Sauté until they become nicely golden and then add the ginger-garlic and chilli paste.

Fry for a good one minute and then add the whisked yogurt to them.

Switch the flame to low and stir continuously until you have a curry like consistency,

Add the salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and 1 tbsp of the prepared Biryani masala.

Stir and cook until the oil separates.

Add the vegetables to the curry and stir gently so that all the veggies get a good coat.

Cover and cook the vegetables until they are half done.

Transfer the curry to a bowl and keep aside.

Prepare the rice:

Wash the rice until clear water runs through and then soak it in water for about half an hour.

Add around 8 cups of water in a big pot.

Add salt and a little bit of cinnamon stick, green cardamoms, cloves, bay leaves, shah zeera / caraway seeds and some green chillies.

Let the water come to a boil.

Add the rice to the boiling water and cook until the rice is 70% cooked.

Immediately drain the water and keep the rice in a flat tray or colander.

Layering:

Take a heavy bottomed pot (the size of the pot depends on the quantity of the rice and vegetables taken together. Neither it should be too big or too small. Select a pot where the quantity of the rice and veggies when put together should be more than half of the pot’s height) and grease the surface with a little ghee.

Now spread a medium thick layer of cooked rice on it.

Drizzle some ghee over the rice and sprinkle some biryani masala and chopped coriander leaves.

Now spread a layer of the cooked veggies.

Spread another layer of the rice over the cooked veggies, along with the ghee, coriander leaves and biryani masala.

Repeat this process until you have finished up all the rice and veggies.

In the final layer of the rice, add the slit green chillies, rose water and kewra water along with the ghee, coriander leaves and the biryani masala.

Seal the lid of the pot with some atta dough or just cover it tightly with aluminium foil before closing it with the lid.

Switch the flame to the lowest and place a tawa over the flame.

Place the pot of biryani over the tawa and cook on dum for about 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes have passed, switch off the flame and take away the tawa.

Let the sealed pot sit for another 10 minutes and then open the lid.

Serve immediately with some raita.