Vegetable Biryani and Simple Onion Raita

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!

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


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

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

Sweet Potato Raita

A raita to go with a flavored rice is almost a must in many households... and ours is one such. Raita is basically a vegetable - cooked or raw, in a yoghurt sauce, tempered with some mild spices. A good raita not only makes a good combination with flavored rice, but also adds up to the taste.

Usually, these raitas are very simple to make and with variations. This one uses sweet potato as the veggie and is not very common... but it does taste awesome, with a sweetish taste combined with sour-ish curds, tempered with spicy chilies and salt to taste.... Try it out and serve it with pulavs/puliyogare/vanghibath/biriyani, or lisck it off as is, that too tastes great!

Preparation time : 5 min

Cooking time : 10 min + 2 min

Serves : 4-5

Ingredients:

Sweet potato - 1, medium sized

Cooking oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dal - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Green chilies - 4-5, vary according to your taste

Coriander - 2 tsp, finely chopped

Coconut - 2 tsp, grated

Thick curd - 1-1½ cups

Salt - ¾ tsp or as per taste

Method:

• Wash and cook sweet potato till soft. I use pressure cooker till 2-3 whistles

• When cool enough to handle, peel off the outer skin and slightly mash it into smaller pieces

• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and allow to splutter

• Add Urad dal and roast till golden color

• Add slit green chilies and curry leaves and sauté for a minute

• To the mashed , mix the tempering prepared above, salt and grated coconut

• When ready to serve, add the curd and mix well. If it is too thick, thin it down with a little water

• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve

Tips n Tricks:

• Let there be some small pieces of the sweet potato. Do not mash it very fine

• This raita is not very thin, and don’t add too much of water, which will spoil the taste

Variations:

• The same can be prepared with potatoes also.

Burnt Eggplant in Coconut Chutney

This is one side dish that comes into my mind instantly when I see eggplant! I used to dislike this veggie earlier, but now with a wide variety of dishes that can be prepared with the eggplant, I actually started liking it. This is quite easy to prepare - cook the eggplant on stovetop till the outer skin is burnt, after which the skin is removed and the inner part is added to a ground coconut chutney. Tastes great with chapathis, rottis, esp Ubbu rotti, and even with rice.

Burnt Eggplant in Coconut Chutney

Preparation time : 5 min Cooking time : 15 min Serves : 4 Ingredients: Eggplant - 3, medium sized, preferably purple ones Coconut - 1 cup, grated Green chilies - 5-6, depending on taste Channa dal - 2 tsp Curry leaves - 2 sprigs Coriander leaves - 1 Tbsp, chopped Cooking oil - 1 tsp Jaggery - a small pinch (optional) Tamarind - a small marble sized ball Salt - ½ tsp or as per taste Turmeric - 1 pinch For Tempering: Cooking oil - 1 tsp Curry leaves - A few sprigs Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Asafetida - a pinch, powdered Method: • Wash the eggplants, make sure there are no holes on the outer skin, which means there might be bugs inside • Smear a few drops of oil over the eggplant • Switch on the gas and place these eggplants directly over the flame • Turn it around every now and then and ensure an even blackening of the outer skin. This will take around 2 minutes per eggplant. • Poke the back of a spoon or a knife to check if it is cooked soft inside. • Repeat this for all the eggplants and set aside to cool • Meanwhile, roast green chilies, curry leaves and chana dal in a few drops of oil till they change color • Grind the above with coconut, turmeric, salt, tamarind, jaggery, coriander leaves, adding a little water if needed • Transfer the ground chutney to a serving bowl • Once the burnt eggplant is cool enough to handle, peel the outer charred skin. A thick layer comes out easily. • Mash this slightly or cut with a knife to get small pieces • Add it to the ground chutney and mix well For tempering / tadka: • Heat the oil in a pan, add mustard and allow to splutter • Add curry leaves • Garnish with tadka Tips n Tricks: • Do not make the chutney too smooth – a little coarse consistency will give a better taste • You can just bake the eggplant in oven too. But make sure to prick some holes all over, to prevent it from bursting inside the oven!