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I had been wanting to make vegetable biriyani for a long time. Even D was asking for it from quite some time. The time came when I saw the picture of mouth watering veg biriyani pics on Hema’s photo blog. She passed on the fool proof recipe that she had used and it made my temptation harder!
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So the next chance I got, I made it and it was pretty good for a first timer - there were of course some improvements and adjustments needed to suit our taste - mainly, it turned out a bit too spicy for us... the gravy part had to be reduced. Never the less it was too tasty and vanished off.
Next time, I made it again within a couple of days for a small party at home, and made those adjustments... it turned out to be a huge hit! I was overwhelmed with the compliments that I got for it! Thanks Hema, for a wonderful recipe!
Here goes the recipe...
Veg Biryani
Ingredients:
Rice - 3 cups, Basmati variety
Water
Ghee / clarified butter - 1 tbsp
Cooking oil - 2-3 Tbsp
Vegetables (Beans, Carrot, Capsicum) - 2 cups, chopped
Tomatoes - 2 chopped fine
Green peas - ½ to ¾ cup
Soya chunks - a handful, optional (if using, soak in hot water for a couple of minutes and squeeze)
Cardamom - 3
Cloves - 3-4
Cinnamon - 1” stick
Salt - ½ tsp
Cashews - 1 Tbsp, broken into pieces
Onions - 2 medium sized, chopped into fine strips, length wise
Coriander - a handful, chopped fine
For masala paste
Onion - 2 medium sized, chopped into chunks
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp (I used 1” raw ginger and 5-6 cloves garlic)
Green chilies - 3-4, as per taste
Cardamom - 3
Cloves - 3-4
Cinnamon - 1” stick
Garam masala - ½ tsp
Salt - ½ tsp
Red Chili powder - ½ tsp (adjust as per your taste)
Coriander leafs - a small bunch
Curd - ½ cup
Method:
Making the masala vegetable gravy:
• Cook vegetables including green peas and tomatoes till ¾ th either in a microwave or on stove top in a pan with some oil or in boiling water
• Grind the ingredients for masala paste into a smooth paste. Use curds to facilitate the blades
• In a pan, heat a tbsp of oil and add the masala paste and cook till the raw smell goes
• Add the semi cooked vegetables and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add more curds to adjust the consistency to a thick gravy
• Turn off the heat and let it sit till the rice is cooked
Making Rice:
• Wash and soak rice for 30 minutes in enough water and a tsp of ghee and ½ tsp of salt.
• In a pressure cooker, heat a tbsp of oil and some ghee
• Add cardamom, cloves and cinnamon and sauté
• Add the soaked and drained rice and fry for a couple of minutes
• Cook with 1.5 times the quantity of water, with a tsp salt for just 1 whistle
• Once the pressure is down, spread the cooked rice in a wide bowl and add a teaspoon of oil so that the grains do not stick
• Keep aside for 5 minutes to cool
Frying the Onions:
• In a pan, heat a tbsp of oil and add the cashews
• Once cashews are almost done, add half of the onion strips and sauté well on medium heat till it becomes brown
• Make sure not to char it, by stirring frequently
• Keep aside till assembly
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Assembling the Biriyani:
• For dum effect, use a shallow, heavy vessel or a deep pressure cooker - I used my 3 liter deep pressure cooker
• Grease the bottom and sides with some ghee / oil/ butter
• Taste the gravy and the cooked rice for salt and if needed add more to the gravy; adjust chili powder as well.
• Add a tbsp of the gravy and spread it as first layer
• Layer about half a cup of cooked rice evenly over it
• Layer the sautéed onions evenly
• Repeat with the rest of the gravy and rice and onions, forming several layers
• Use the raw onions in the middle layers and also keep some for the top most layer
• Add chopped coriander on top
• Cover the lid and keep it on very low flame; put on the weight if using pressure cooker
• Keep it on heat for 20-25 minutes for the spices to blend into the rice
• When ready to serve, gently mix the layers - do not over mix
• Serve hot with a nice raita and enjoy!
Notes:
• Making rice with a 1.5 times water, with ghee or oil makes the grains separate and not sticky
• Handle the basmati rice with utmost care as it is very delicate and can break
• Do not over cook the veggies - a crunchy effect will make it nice. And it will get cooked again, anyways
• A bit of butter can also be used for a richer effect in between some layers
• The raw onions add a unique taste, flavor and texture to the end product
Simple Onion Raita
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUyW-UBVOupbQbYfEGqLfgMgqfdAVRHJxdEEzLLmPoFRMrd92highkeuuAva1IA9oS6zWWJ_I8x7BSPh4XiqOPtGigyPd_K_WJFGU-0t3QYeJ-k2Cij2hApX54LBuJ4czT1CM7OL88WCL/s400/VegBiryani-Raita.jpg)
Ingredients:
Onion - 1, medium sized
Cooking oil - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Green chilies - 1-2, vary according to your taste
Coriander - 2 tsp, finely chopped
Garam Masala - ½ tsp
Red Chili powder - ½ tsp, optional
Thick curd - 1-1½ cups
Salt - ¾ tsp or as per taste
Method:
• Chop onions very finely
• Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and allow to splutter
• Add slit green chilies and sauté for a minute
• Cool slightly and mix the rest of the ingredients. Beat the curd slightly before adding
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve