Vegetable Biryani

My close friend Suman's mom and chithi visited us in Singapore around her graduation time and they cooked up a feast for us everyday - I fondly remember this Vegetable Biryani and the Gobi Manchurian that her chithi made. We hunted for mint on Serangoon Road since she said that it was essential for this Biryani and gives it an unforgettable flavour. This is the Biryani recipe that I make often though I have come across so many version of this much-loved dish.

VEGETABLE BIRYANI



Ingredients:
Basmati Rice - 1 cup (soak for 20 minutes)
Mixed Vegetables - 2 cups, cut into cubes (carrots, beans, peas, cauliflower)
Coconut Milk - 1/2 cup
Tomato - 1, chopped
Soy Chunks - 15, soaked in boiling water for 10 mins & chopped (optional)
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds (jeera) - 1 tbsp
Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Bay leaf - 1
Salt, to taste

Grind (For Paste 1) :
Onion - 1, cut into chunks
Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Green Chillies - 7
MTR Pulao Masala - 1.5 tsp (or grind your masala with cinnamons, cloves, elaichi, poppy seeds and saunf)

Grind (For Paste 2):
Mint - 1/4 cup leaves (loosely packed)
Coriander - 1/4 cup leaves (loosely packed)

Directions:

1. Drain the soaked rice. Heat a tbsp of oil in a wide pan, add 1/2 tbsp of cumin seeds and the bay leaf, add the drained rice and sauté until the rice turns a bit glossy and has a good fragrance. Keep aside.

2. In the pressure cooker, add 1 tbsp of oil + 1 tbsp of ghee, add the remaining 1/2 tbsp of jeera and the Ground Onion Paste (paste 1). Fry this for 5 to 6 minutes.

3. Next add the Mint-Coriander paste (Paste 2), and the chopped tomato. Fry for another 3 to 5 minutes.

4. Now add the chopped vegetables and sauté for just a minute, add 1 cup of water and some salt. Close the cooker with the weight on top and keep covered for just 2 minutes on medium-high flame (there will be no whistle).

Note: For 1 cup Basmati Rice we need 1.5 cups of liquid (water + coconut milk)

5. Open the lid, add the rice, coconut milk, 1/2 tsp chilli powder and cover again with the weight on top. Keep closed for 5 minutes (there will be no whistle). Switch off the cooker after 5 minutes and leave undisturbed for 20 minutes before opening the cooker to serve. ( I have followed this method since chithi told me about this and it results in perfectly cooked rice)

Vegetable Biryani is now ready to serve with a Raitha and Chips.



I would like to send this for JFI-Rice, hosted by Sharmi, which is a wonderful event started by Indira. Thank you Ladies.

Comments

  1. Hi Lavanya! vegetable biryani is my favourite. Looks wonderful and a great entry too. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. biryani looks delicious. Looking for a herb all over the place to get that exact taste, sign of a true foodie :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Biryani is looking good! It's raining pulaos & biryanis in the blogosphere thanks to Sharmi :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wonderful Veg Biryani!!! I love all kinds of Pulao & Biryani :-)

    themistressofspices.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ur Biryani looks delicious Lavanya...:-)) Nice pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Biriyani is inviting. It is nice to have people visiting us.

    BTW why do you grind twice ? Paste 1 & 2. Why not just one ? Is there any specific reason.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Looks delicious! It's nice of her to cook for you when she is the guest!:))
    Great recipe,thank you for posting L!
    Happy 60th I day girl.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Biryani sounds delicious. I too have made a biryani for JFI, yet to post.
    nice pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This looks lovely.

    Where are the pictures of the bun :-)s??

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you Jyothi. It's a pretty popular dish isn't it?

    Richa, that's true and it was well worth the effort right? Thanks Richa.

    TBC, Thanks. I'm sure the round-up will be filled with biryanis galore.

    Aruna, Thank you for your kind words.

    Srisha, Thank you, am glad the pics came out well. My daughter was climbing on the table to mess with the plate so I had to rush.

    Seec, I'm not sure why she made 2 pastes and though the thought of combining them has crossed my minds, I was worried about messing it up somehow - so didn't... :)

    Asha, Yes it was really good for them to cook for us. We weren't really good cooks then and in the learning phase so it was probably good for them to cook for us instead of the other way around! :) It may have been disastrous.

    Thank you Sharmi - looking fwd to seeing your recipe.

    Thank you Raaga. The Bun pictures will be coming in the next post... :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Nice biryani recipe :)Pictures are looking nice :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Laavanya, a one pot meal with rice and veggies. looks great. Viji

    ReplyDelete
  13. hullo!! decided to visit your blog today - after lunch, as per your advice ;). and the first thing i see - chitthi's briyani!! she'll be thrilled! :D

    ReplyDelete
  14. lovely one pot meal lavanya... wishing u a very happy I-day:)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thank you Archana and RV.

    Suman!! What a surprise to see your comment.. and perfect timing too. Am so glad that your first visit coincided with my post of Chithi's recipe.

    Thank you Sia - Happy I-day to you too.

    ReplyDelete
  16. a wonderul fragrant way to celebrate independence day.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Vegetable biryani is so looking inviting. Great entry.

    ReplyDelete
  18. laavanya, this biryani is as tasty as your name:)

    i think the coconut milk is a nice addition

    -Mansi

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank you for stopping by and providing your valuable feedback. NOTE: I have disabled Anonymous comments (since I was getting a lot of spam).

Popular Posts