Vegetable Biryani

Ok. In my not-so-humble opinion, Vegetable Biryani is an oxymoron. Biryani should only be made with lamb/mutton, and may be chicken. I will even tolerate fish and prawn biryani but the over spiced vegetable-rice dish served in all eating joints in town can not be "Biryani". As you can tell, I am already biased but not because I hate veggie-rice combos, in fact, I love veg pulao/tahiri/simple sabziwale chawal/the bong phulkopi-khichuri/bisibele bhaath... I just don't think a biryani can be made without meat.

So when Pavel suggested vegetable biryani for a quick and tasty dinner, I was lukewarm to the whole idea. But then I found this recipe for a dum vegetable biryani and it sounded interesting enough for me to want to try it out. It came out tasty enough, except next time I might use some vegetable stock (I had run out of that) and make rice using the boil and drain method rather than making it in the pressure cooker.

Vegetable Biryani

(This should be enough for 4)

Step 1: Clean and wash about 400 gms of basmati rice. Put it in a saucepan with 2 green cardamoms, 2 cloves, 1/2" stick cinnamon, 1 bay leaf, a little salt and about 600-700 ml water. Boil till the rice is almost done but not quite. Drain out all the water. (This can also be done in a pressure cooker or a rice cooker. I just think that by draining the rice is fluffier)

Step 2: Prepare the veggies

a) Cut all the vegetables: cauliflower, carrots, beans, potato, peas (you should have about twice the amount as the uncooked rice: 1 cup rice-2 cup veggies)

b) slice about two medium sized onions, 1-2 green chillies (I left these out) and grate or julienne 2" piece of ginger.

c) Put a handi-shaped vessel (or a pressure cooker or saucepan) on medium heat. Add 2-3 tbsps of ghee. When it starts to smoke, add 2 black cardamom, 2-3 green cardamoms, 3-4 cloves, 1" piece of cinnamon, one bay leaf and a strand of mace (javitri).

d) when the spices sizzle, add all the onions, ginger and green chilli and fry till the onions are golden brown.

f) Add all the cut veggies, and salt and a couple of pinches of garam masala.

g) Add one cup of yoghurt , stir well and put in a handful of raisins, almonds, cashews.

h) Add about 3/4 cup of veg stock/water, cook till the veggies are almost done.

i) You should have a thick veg gravy at the end of this,

Step3: You can do this while the veggies are cooking.

a) warm a little milk and dissolve a few saffron strands in it.Leave to infuse for a few minutes.

b) Chop coriander and mint finely (you need about 1/2 cup each)

c) Add 1/2 cup of yoghurt to the milk and saffron and whisk well

Step4: Assembling it all

a) In the handi with the veggies, sprinkle half the saffron-yoghurt mix on the veggies and cover with half the coriander & mint.

b) Spread half the rice on top and again sprinkle with the rest of the yoghurt mix and the coriander & mint.

c) End with a layer of all the rice left

d) I hid a couple of eggs in between the rice layers as well.

Step 5: Now to give dum.

a) cover the mouth of the handi with two damp tea towels.

b) shut tight with the lid

c) put a heavy weight on top

(or you can leave the tea-towels and weight out and just seal the lid with dough)

d) put on low heat for 10 minutes

e) now put a tawa on low heat and put the handi on it for the next 15 minutes.