Vegetable Biryani
Vegetable biryani is a fravorful Indian vegetarian rice dish made from layers of basmati rice, spices and medley of vegetables lof your choice, like potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, peppers or peas.
Ingredients:
Serves 4
For the vegetables:
- 2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- 4 small potatoes, pealed and cut into half
- 1 cup of fresh peas (optional)
- 1 carot, peeled and diced (optional)
- 2 cups chopped couliflower florets
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 - 5 green cardamom seeds
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped finely
- 2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 2 green chilies
- 1 onion
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp poppy seeds
- salt to taste
- 2-3 tbsp butter or vegetable oil
For the Rice:
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1 dried chili
- 2-3 tbsp butter
- 2 bay leaves
- about ½ cup cashewnuts to garnish
- 1-2 carmelized onions to garnish
- salt to taste
- 2 cups water
How to make Vegetable Biryani:
- Rinse the rice in several changes of water and let it soak for 10-15 min. Drain thoroughly.
- Grind or pound the fennel seeds, turmeric, cardamom seeds, cinnamon, cloves and poppy seeds.
- Blend in liquidizer with garlic, ginger, green chilies and coriander leaves.
- Heat the oil or butter in a pan. Add half the onion and fry until golden.
- Add the blended spices, the bay leaves and tomato and continue to cook, mashing the tomato under the back of a wooden spoon to make a thick paste.
- Pour the water, add the carrots, potatoes, peas and 1 tsp salt (or to taste) and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes, unti the potatoes are cooked and sauce is thick.
- Heat the butter or oil in a pan, add the chopped onion and bay leaf. Fry until onion is golden.
- Add rice.
- Pour on enough boiling water (2 cups) over the rice and cook covered for 10 minutes.
- Then turn off the heat and leave, coverered for 5-10 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender but not soft.
- Stir the vegetables into the rice and heat through. You may add some salt to taste.
- Fry the cashews nuts in a oil for few seconds (optional). Place the rice in serving dish. Decorate with cashew nuts, carmalized onions and coriander leaves. Don't forget about serving raita with it.