Vegetable Biryani

Name: Vegetable Biryani
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: hyderabadi
Ingredients: 1 cup basmati rice (soaked for 30 minutes and drained); 6 cup water (for parboiling rice); 0.5 tsp salt (for parboiling rice); 2 tbsp oil; 1 tbsp ghee; 2 pcs onion (medium, thinly sliced); 1 pcs carrot (medium, cut into small cubes); 12 pcs beans (trimmed and cut into small pieces); 1 pcs potato (small, peeled and cubed); 1 cup cauliflower (small florets); 0.5 cup green peas; 1 pcs tomato (medium, chopped); 0.5 cup yogurt (plain, whisked); 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste; 2 pcs green chili (slit); 0.25 cup mint (loosely packed leaves); 0.25 cup coriander leaves (chopped); 1 pcs bay leaf; 3 pcs green cardamom; 4 pcs cloves; 1 inch cinnamon (piece); 0.5 tsp shahi jeera; 1 pinch turmeric powder; 1 pinch red chili powder; 1 pinch garam masala; 2 tbsp milk (warm); 5 pcs saffron (soaked in warm milk); 1 tbsp lemon juice

RATING

4.6/5(203)

TASTE SCORE

9/10

Fragrant basmati rice layered with spiced vegetables, mint, and fried onions, then finished on dum for a gently aromatic biryani. It makes a satisfying center-of-the-plate dish with classic restaurant-style flavor at home.

PREP

25m

COOK

35m

SERVES

1 KATORI

385 cal

SERVINGS

METHOD · 8 STEPS

prep · ~30 min
Prepare the rice and vegetables.
1.Wash the basmati rice well until the water runs mostly clear.
2.Soak the rice in fresh water for 30 minutes, then drain.
3.Slice the onion thinly and chop the carrot, beans, potato, cauliflower, and tomato.
4.Whisk the yogurt and soak the saffron in warm milk.
boil · ~8 min
Parboil the rice.
1.Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a large pot.
2.Add 0.5 tsp salt and the drained rice.
3.Cook until the rice is about 70 percent done and still has a slight bite, 5 to 6 minutes.
4.Drain the rice immediately and spread it lightly so it does not keep cooking.
TIPDo not fully cook the rice here or the biryani will turn soft after dum.
fry · ~10 min
Fry the onions.
Heat the oil and ghee in a heavy pan over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook, stirring often, until golden brown and lightly crisp at the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove a small handful for layering and leave the rest in the pan.
TIPKeep the heat medium so the onions brown evenly instead of burning.
saute · ~8 min
Make the vegetable masala.
1.To the same pan, add bay leaf, green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and shahi jeera.
2.Cook for 20 to 30 seconds until fragrant.
3.Add ginger-garlic paste and green chili, then sauté for 1 minute.
4.Add tomato and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.
5.Add carrot, beans, potato, cauliflower, and green peas. Mix well.
6.Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala, and 1 pinch salt.
simmer · ~10 min
Cook the vegetables.
Add the yogurt and 0.5 cup water, then mix gently. Cover and cook on low heat until the vegetables are just tender and the masala looks thick, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in half the mint, half the coriander leaves, and the lemon juice.
TIPKeep the masala thick; excess liquid makes the rice heavy and sticky.
assemble · ~3 min
Layer the biryani.
1.Spread the vegetable masala evenly in the pan.
2.Top with the parboiled rice in an even layer.
3.Scatter the reserved fried onion, remaining mint, and remaining coriander leaves over the rice.
4.Drizzle the saffron milk on top.
simmer · ~25 min
Cook on dum.
Cover the pan tightly and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes so the rice finishes cooking and absorbs the aroma. Turn off the heat and let it rest, covered, for 10 minutes.
TIPA heavy pan helps prevent the bottom layer from catching while the biryani steams.
serve
Fluff gently and serve hot.

PRO TIPS

What to keep in mind.

7 tips from the recipe — small details that make a real difference to the final dish.

1
Drain the rice as soon as it reaches about 70% doneness; lingering in hot water will make the dum stage mushy.
2
Slice the onions evenly so they brown at the same rate and give you sweet, crisp birista for layering.
3
Keep the vegetable masala fairly dry before layering; a wet gravy will make the rice clump instead of staying fluffy.
4
Use the lowest possible heat for dum, or place a flat tawa under the pan to protect the bottom layer.
5
Let the biryani rest covered for 10 minutes after cooking so the steam settles and the grains firm up.
6
When serving, fluff from the side with a flat spoon to keep the long basmati grains and layers intact.
7
You can parboil the rice and make the vegetable masala a few hours ahead, then layer and finish on dum before serving.