Veg Biryani

 

Ingredients

For Soaking Rice

• 300 grams / 1.5 cups basmati rice - preferably aged basmati rice
• 1 cup water for soaking rice

Veggies

• 150 grams / 1.5 cups cauliflower florets
• 100 grams / 2 medium potatoes / 1 cup chopped potatoes
• 100 grams / 1 medium to large carrot / ½ cup chopped carrots
• 50 grams/ 11 to 12 french beans/ ¼ cup chopped french beans
• 8 to 10 white button mushrooms, sliced or chopped, (optional)
• 50 grams capsicum / 1 small to medium capsicum / ¼ to ⅓ cup chopped bell pepper (optional)
• ½ cup green peas - fresh or frozen
• 115 grams onion / 1 large onion / 1 heaped cup thinly sliced onions
• 10 grams / 2 pieces of 2 inch ginger / 1.5 tablespoons finely chopped ginger or 1 tablespoon ginger paste
• 5 grams / 10 to 12 medium garlic cloves / 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic or ½ tablespoon garlic paste
• 2 green chilies, slit or sliced

For Cooking Rice

• 3 green cardamoms
• 1 black cardamom
• 3 cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 1 tej patta (indian bay leaf)
• 2 single mace strands
• 5 cups water
• ½ teaspoon salt or add as per taste

For Biryani Curry/Gravy

• 3 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) - can use 3 tablespoons oil instead of ghee
• 1 teaspoon shah jeera (caraway seeds)
• 1 tej patta (indian bay leaf)
• 3 green cardamoms
• 1 black cardamon
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 200 grams / 1 cup curd (yogurt), whisked
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder or cayenne pepper or paprika
• ½ cup water for pressure cooking and ¾ cup water if cooking in a pot
• 2 tablespoons cashews
• 1 tablespoons sultanas or raisins (without seeds)
• 2 tablespoons almonds - raw or blanched, peeled and sliced
• salt as required

For Assembling And Layering

• 20 grams / ⅓ cup chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
• 5 grams / ⅓ cup chopped mint leave
• 4 to 5 tablespoons milk
• ¼ teaspoon saffron strands
• 2 teaspoons kewra water (pandanus extract) or rose water

How to make Hyderabadi Veg Biryani

1. Rinse 1.5 cups (300 grams) basmati rice in running water till the water runs clear of starch. You can use a bowl or colander to rinse the rice. Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes. If possible try to use aged basmati rice.

2. After 30 minutes drain the basmati rice and keep aside.

3. When the basmati rice is soaking prep the other ingredients. Rinse, peel and chop the veggies.

I have used 3 cups mixed veggies including green peas. You can use your choice of mixed vegetables.

Slice 1 large onion thinly (about 1 heaped cup thinly sliced onion).

Finely chop or crush 10 grams ginger (2 pieces of 2 inch ginger or 1.5 tablespoons finely chopped ginger).

Finely chop or crush 5 grams garlic (10 to 12 medium garlic cloves or 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic).

Slit 3 to 4 green chilies also.

Chop coriander leaves (cilantro) and mint leaves. You should get ⅓ cup each of chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves.

Cooking basmati rice for veg biryani

4. Now we need to cook the rice. For cooking rice, you can use any method – microwave, pressure cooking, instant pot or cooking in a pot. For cooking rice in a pot, take a deep bottomed pan. Add 5 cups water and heat the water on a high flame.

5. When the water becomes hot, add all the spices and ½ teaspoon salt – 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf), 3 green cardamoms, 3 cloves, 1 black cardamom, 1 inch cinnamon and 2 single strands of mace.

6. Bring the water to a boil on a high flame.

7. Then add the rice.

8. Just gently stir with a spoon or fork, after you add the rice. Check the taste of water and it should taste slightly salty. If the water is not tasting slightly salty, then add some more salt.

9. Do not reduce the flame and continue to cook the rice.

10. The rice has to be ¾ᵗʰ cooked. The grains should have a slight bite to them when cooked. The rice should not be fully cooked but almost cooked.

11. Drain the rice in a colander. You can also rinse the rice gently with water so that the grains stop cooking.

Making vegetable biryani gravy

12. In a pressure cooker or a pan, heat 3 tablespoons ghee. Add the following spices – 1 teaspoon shah jeera (caraway seeds), 1 tej patta, 3 green cardamoms, 3 cloves, 1 black cardamom, 1 inch cinnamon. Sauté the whole spices till they crackle.

13. Now add the sliced onions.

14. Stir and sauté them on a low to medium flame.

15. Onions take a lot of time to cook, so add a pinch of salt to quicken the cooking process. Stirring often sauté the onions, so that they cook evenly.

16. When the onions are cooking, take 1 cup fresh curd/yogurt (200 grams) in a bowl. Beat the curd with a spoon or whisk till it becomes smooth.

17. Sauté the onions till they become golden brown or caramelize. Try not to burn them.

18. Then add the ginger-garlic paste and sliced green chillies. You can also finely chop the ginger-garlic and add.

19. Sauté till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.

20. Add the turmeric and red chili powder. Stir and mix well.

21. Next add the chopped veggies.

21. Sauté for a minute or two.

22. Lower the heat and add the beaten yogurt/curd. Stir as soon as you add the curd.

23. Then add ½ cup of water.

24. Season with salt. Stir again.

25. Pressure cook for 1 whistle on medium flame. If cooking in a pot, then cook till the veggies are done. Don’t overcook the vegetables. When the pressure settles down on its own, remove the lid and check the gravy.

• If the vegetables are not cooked well, then keep the pressure cooker on the stove top and simmer the vegetable biryani gravy without the lid, till the vegetables are cooked.
• If there is too much water or stock in the gravy, then simmer till some water dries up. The vegetable gravy should have a medium or slightly thick consistency and should not be watery.

26. Add cashews, raisins and almonds (blanched or raw) to the vegetable gravy. Mix and stir. Keep aside. Do check the salt. Add more if required. You can chop the nuts before adding.

27. When the veggies are cooking, warm 4 to 5 tablespoon milk in a microwave or in a small pan on the stove top. Add ¼ teaspoon of saffron strands. Stir and keep aside.

Assembling & Layering

29. Now in a thick bottomed pan, layer half of the vegetable curry first.

30. Then layer half of the semi cooked rice.

31. Sprinkle half of the chopped coriander (cilantro), mint leaves and saffron milk.

32. Layer the remaining gravy.

33. Layer the remainder of the rice. Sprinkle the remaining coriander leaves (cilantro), mint leaves, saffron milk on the top. Sprinkle 2 teaspoon of rose water or kewra water (pandanus extract). At this point you can even add ⅓ cup of golden fried onions (birista) if you have these. You can make 2 layers or 4 layers like I have done. But do remember that rice should be the top layer.

Two Methods to dum cook biryani

Method 1

34. Seal and secure the pot with aluminium foil.

35. Then cover the pan/pot with a tight fitting lid.

Method 2

36. You can also seal the pan with a moist cotton cloth.

37. Then keep a lid on top.

38. Then keep a heavy weight on the lid.

39. Take a tawa (griddle/skillet) and heat it on medium flame. You can begin to preheat the tava when you start assembling the veg biryani.

40. When the skillet becomes hot, then lower the flame. Keep the sealed veg biryani pan on the tawa. Keep the flame to the lowest and cook veg biryani for 25 to 30 minutes. You can also dum cook veg biryani for the first 15 minutes on direct low flame and then for the last 10 minutes, place the pan on the hot tawa/skillet and cook on a low flame.

For baking biryani 

41. You could also preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit) and then bake the vegetable

biryani in a preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Please remember to use an oven proof glass utensil like the pyrex bowl for baking in the oven. You will have to assemble the biryani as mentioned above in the oven proof utensil. Cover with aluminium foil or the pyrex bowl lid and then bake.

42. After 25 to 30 minutes, switch off the flame. Using a fork or spoon check the bottom layer of the biryani. There should be no liquids at the bottom. If there are liquids, then continue to dum cook for some more time. After dum cooking, give a standing time of 5 to 7 minutes and then serve the dum biryani.

43. While serving the veg biryani, make sure you equally serve the vegetables as well as rice layers. Here is a photo of the layers inside.

44. Serve this delicious Veg Biryani with your choice of raita, onion-tomato salad (kuchumber), mango pickle, roasted papad. Other accompaniments for this Hyderabadi vegetable biryani are mirchi ka salan and shorba gravy.