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Vegetable Biryani Recipe

Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 4 to 5 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Hyderabadi
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the rice
  • 2 cups basmati rice about 400 g, rinsed and soaked for 30 minutes
  • 6 cups water for boiling
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 green cardamom pods
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 inch cinnamon stick
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 teaspoon shahi jeera caraway seeds
  • 1 tablespoon salt for the rice water
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
For the vegetable masala
  • 3 tablespoons oil or ghee
  • 2 medium onions thinly sliced (for frying)
  • 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
  • 2 green chillies slit
  • 2.5 cups mixed vegetables — carrot green beans, peas, potato and cauliflower, cut into medium pieces
  • 1/2 cup curd yoghurt, whisked smooth
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
  • 2 teaspoons biryani masala powder
  • Salt to taste
For layering
  • 1/4 cup warm milk with a pinch of saffron soaked in it or a pinch of turmeric for colour
  • 3 tablespoons ghee melted
  • A handful of fresh mint leaves
  • A handful of fresh coriander leaves chopped
  • The fried onions from above birista

Method
 

  1. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pan and fry the sliced onions on medium heat, stirring often, until they turn deep golden and crisp — about 10 to 12 minutes. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and keep aside. This fried onion (birista) is used in the layering.
  2. In the same pan, add the ginger-garlic paste and green chillies. Fry for a minute on medium heat.
  3. Add all the mixed vegetables and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes.
  4. Lower the heat, then add the turmeric, red chilli powder, biryani masala and salt. Stir well.
  5. Take the pan off the heat for a moment and stir in the whisked curd a spoonful at a time (this stops it splitting). Return to low heat and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until the vegetables are just tender and the masala looks glossy. The masala should be thick, not watery.
  6. Meanwhile, boil the 6 cups of water with all the whole spices, salt and lemon juice. Add the soaked, drained rice and cook until it is about 70 percent done — the grain should still have a firm bite in the centre. Drain immediately in a colander.
  7. Now layer the biryani in a heavy pot or the same wide pan: spread half the vegetable masala at the bottom, then half the rice over it. Sprinkle over half the fried onions, half the mint and coriander, and a few spoonfuls of saffron milk and ghee.
  8. Repeat with the remaining masala and rice, and finish with the rest of the fried onions, herbs, saffron milk and ghee on top.
  9. Cover the pot tightly — seal the lid edge with a strip of dough, or cover with foil and then the lid. Cook on the lowest flame for 20 minutes (place the pot on a tawa/griddle if your flame runs hot). Then switch off the heat and let the biryani rest, still covered, for 10 minutes.
  10. Open the lid, fluff the top layer gently with a fork or the edge of a spoon without breaking the grains, and serve hot with raita, mirchi ka salan and lemon wedges.

Notes

  • The 70 percent rule matters most: rice that is fully cooked before dum will turn soft and sticky in the steam.
  • Always add curd off the heat or on the lowest flame, a little at a time — that is the whole secret to a masala that does not split.
  • Rest the biryani for 10 minutes before opening. The steam finishes the grains and the layers settle, so it serves beautifully.
  • Frozen peas can go straight into the masala; hard vegetables like potato and carrot should be cut slightly smaller so everything finishes together.