Vegetable Biryani

My husband likes dum ka biryani very much and all I knew how to make was the regular fried rice. So when my mother-in-law was with us, I made sure that I watch her make it and take notes. I was a little off in the measurement of ingredients, but I’m happy that my husband liked it.

Preparing Vegetables:
Potatoes, carrots, beans, peas – 2 cups (chopped into big chunks)

For marinade:
Yogurt – ½ cup
Ginger garlic paste – 1tbsp
Chili powder – 1tbsp
Garam masala – 1tsp
Coriander leaves – ½ cup chopped
Mint leaves – ½ cup chopped
Cashew powder – 1tsp
Salt – 1tbsp

• Add all the ingredients for marinade to the chopped veggies and let stand for at least one hour in a covered dish. The aroma of all the spices is amazing at this stage.

Cooking Rice:
Basmati Rice – 1½ cups (soaked in cold water for at least 1 hour)
Make a small fabric pouch with the following spices:
Shah jeera – 1tsp
Cinnamon stick – 1” piece
Anise flower – 1

• Add 5cups of water and the spice pouch into a big pot and bring the water to a boil. When the water comes to a rolling boil, remove the spice bag and add the soaked rice(drain water completely). Stir occasionally. Cook till the rice is ¾th cooked. This will take about 8-10 minutes max. Drain into a colander and keep aside.

Other ingredients:
Milk – ¼ cup
Saffron – few strands
Onions – 1 cup, thinly sliced and fried in 2tbsp of oil till golden brown.

Putting everything together:

• While the rice is cooking, heat about 6tbsp of oil in a very large heavy bottom pan. Add the vegetables and cook covered on medium low heat until the veggies are just tender.

• After the vegetables are tender enough, add the rice as a layer, top rice layer with saffron-milk mixture and fried onions.

• Bring the heat down to low, cover the pot and cook for about 20 minutes. Resist mixing the whole mixture. After 20minutes, remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.

Serve hot with raita and paneer kurma.

Heres the picture of our dessert: Simple Chocolate cake with hot chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream.