India: Vegetable Biryani
COOK
Nisha Khatkar
Country
India
YIELDS
10 Servings
TOTAL TIME
60 mins
Ingredients
4.50 cups Basmati Rice
4 Carrots (diced)
15 French beans (cut it into 4cm)
1 small Cauliflower (diced)
1 cup Green peas shelled
8 Green cardamons
1 Black cardamom
15 Cloves
½ stick Cinnamon
1 Bay leaf
½ tbsp Caraway seeds (shahi jeera)
1 ½ tbsp Ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tbsp Red chilli powder
1 tbsp Coriander powder
1 cup Fresh tomato puree
1 tsp Garam masala powder
2 tbsp Fresh coriander (or cilantro) leaves chopped
1 cup mustard oil
1 cup Plain yogurt
2 serrano peppers
½ cucumber (peeled and diced finely)
Cook rice
Boil rice in four cups of salted boiling water with two green cardamoms, one black cardamom, five cloves, and half inch stick of cinnamon, until three-fourths has done. Drain excess water and set it aside. Note that this will be enough for 10 people. reduce quantities if need it to adjust.
Prepare vegetables
2. Get the carrots peeled and diced, cauliflower diced and clean, and French beans cut into 4 cm. Carefully dice the serrano peppers but you can commit this if you don't like too much spicy.
Preparing Biryani
3. Heat a non-stick pan of oil in a medium flame. Carefully add the remaining green cardamoms, cloves, black cardamom and cinnamon along with bay leaf and caraway seeds and roast. mix frequently so we don't burn the spices (this step might get some smoke so be sure to have your fan on)
4. Add onions and mix until crystallize then add carrots, French beans, cauliflower florets and green peas. Sprinkle salt, cover and cook on medium heat for two minutes.
5. Add ginger-garlic paste mixed with a little water and stir. Cover and cook for two minutes.
6. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder and cook. Add tomato puree to the vegetables along with half a teaspoon of garam masala powder and mix well. Cover and simmer for two minutes.
7. In a deep and big pan arrange a layer of rice at the bottom. Over that arrange half the cooked vegetables followed by another layer of rice and start to mix. Sprinkle half of the remaining garam masala powder and half the coriander leaves. Cover with a silicon lid and cook for four to five minutes on a high flame. Let it stand for five minutes. Serve hot
Side plain yogurt
8. In a bowl, whisk the yogurt with a little water or milk and whisk well. Pealed 1/2 of a cucumber and diced very finely then add into the bowl with the yogurt and mix well. this will be the side of the dish to put over your plate.