Homemade Vegetable Biryani Recipe
Ingredients:
2 cups basmati rice
whole spices (1 bay leaf,1 cinnamon stick, 5-6 peppers, 4-5 cloves)
6 onions cut thin and long
2 tomatoes cut finely
200 gms carrots chopped into thick cubes
200 gms french beans chopped into big pieces
200 gms cauliflower chopped into florets
2 potatoes cut into cubes
2 cups peas (frozen)
2 cups paneer cubes (frozen or fresh)
2 green capsicum chopped into cubes
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp chopped ginger
3-4 green chilies chopped finely
1 tbsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder
2 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
½ tbsp jeera (cumin ) powder
½ tsp pepper powder
½ tsp cinnamon powder
½ tsp cardamom powder (optional)
½ cup thick yogurt (curds)
salt as per taste
few cashewnuts and raisins
6-7 strands of kesar (saffron ) soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk
Method:
Wash and soak the rice for half an hour. Boil some water with 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, and all the whole spices and cook the rice till it is semi soft or 80 % cooked. Drain the water and keep aside.
In a steamer steam the carrots, beans, cauliflower and potatoes.
For the marination add all the dry spices along with salt , ginger, garlic, green chilies and tomatoes to the yogurt. Mix well then add all the vegetables and paneer . Keep it to rest for 10 minutes.
In a kadai heat oil and deep fry all the onions till it is brown and crispy. Keep 2-3 tbsp for garnishing and crush all the remaining onions in the marination.
In a pan add the marination and cook for 5- 10 minutes on medium flame till all the water dries from it.
In a heavy vessel take 4-5 tbsp oil then put half the quantity of rice and spread it evenly. On it place the cooked vegetables and then layer it with the remaining rice.
Garnish the top layer with the fried onions, dry fruits and 2-3 tbsp of ghee. Pour the saffron milk all over the rice.
Put the vessel on tawa and cook on slow flame for 15-20 minutes.
Remove from flame and serve.
Enjoy this yummy layered vegetable Biryani with yogurt and pickle.