Spicy Vegetable Biryani

 

Spicy Vegetable Biryani

INGREDIENTS : 

Basmati or Seeraga Samba rice - 2 cups

Water - 3 1/2 cups

Oil - 3 tablespoons

Ghee - 2 teaspoons

Cumin - 1 teaspoon

Fennel seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Cinnamon - 2 inches long stick

Cloves - 6

Bay leaf - 1

Medium sized red onion - 4

Medium sized ripe tomatoes - 6

Ginger - 2 inches size

Garlic - 5 cloves

Coriander leaves - a small bunch ( 2 handfuls)

Green chilies - 5

Carrot - 1

French Beans - 15

Frozen peas - 1/4 cup (optional)

Sweet corn - 1/4 cup (optional)

Red chili powder - 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Homemade Uttar Pradesh Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 teaspoon (Check my recipe on the blog)

Mint leaves - a handful for garnish

Salt - a per liking

METHOD:

1. First, let's make the green paste. Blend ginger, garlic and coriander leaves till become a smooth paste. Keep that aside.

2. Heat a wok or pan with some oil and ghee. Add, cumin, fennel seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon and cloves. Temper them lightly. 

3. Now, tip in sliced red onion. Sauté onion till slightly golden brown. Next, add diced tomatoes and green paste that we have prepared earlier. 

4. Give a quick mix. This is followed by turmeric powder, chili powder and salt. You can cook this for 5 minutes. That's enough because it will keep cooking in the rice cooker later. 

5. Wash 2 cups of basmati or Seeraga samba rice (smaller type of basmati rice) three times in  clean water.

6. Now, add the cooked items in the pan to a rice cooker, followed by the washed rice, diced length- wise carrot, beans and optional frozen vegetables like peas and sweet corn. To this you will need 3 1/2 cups of water. 

7. Cook the biryani in the rice cooker.

8. In the middle of cooking in the rice cooker, you can add the garam masala and lavish sprinkle of mint or pudina leaves.

9. Continue to cook the rice until done. Serve this vegetable biryani with your choice of curry or raita (yogurt and cucumber salad).

Thank you

Abby