Super Flavourful Vegetable Biryani

I know biryani fans feel furious about the existence of ‘vegetable’ biryani (“call it pulao!”) but when my SO expressed a desire to have takeaway biryani the day he was unwell, I found myself Google searching a solution. I had never had vegetable biryani before but I wanted something without chicken. I found a YouTube video by The Bombay Chef (whose Pulao recipe I had previously adapted and aced) and used it as a base to create the most delicious and flavourful rice you could imagine! It was a huge success.

Health Benefits:

-          Includes vegetables: carrots, beans, capsicum, peas, tomatoes mostly cooked in flavourful water

Cons:

-          Basmati rice is heavier on the tummy than Jasmine rice

Note 1: You could replace Basmati rice with Jasmine rice for a healthier option but that will suit a private lunch/dinner. I’m not sure guests would enjoy it as much. Jasmine rice tends to stick together and the texture you get from traditional Basmati rice is much more enjoyable and visually appealing.

Note 2: The original recipe used cauliflower instead of capsicum but I had to make do with ingredients in the fridge.

Total Time: 45 mins - 1 hour

Ingredients

Vegetable/canola oil

1 cup Basmati rice

Bay leaves, cardamom (black and green), cinnamon sticks, uncrushed pepper, cloves

1 ½ big or 2 small onions, chopped long

1 tomato

1 small cup chopped beans

1 small cup chopped carrots

1 small cup chopped capsicum

Salt to taste

Kesar for flavour

Ghee for flavour

Method

Flavourful rice

Before you begin, make sure to wash rice and keep it soaked for 15-20 minutes.

1. In a wide pan heat 1 tbsp oil over medium flame.

2. Add a couple of bay leaves, 3-4 pieces cardamom, some cinnamon, pepper and cloves (2-3) for about half a minute or 1, till you can smell its fragrance.

3. Add some onions and sauté.

4. Add 2 cups of water (nearly the double of the amount of rice). Let it reach a boil.

5. Add salt as per taste (only for the rice. We’ll add salt later with vegetables too)

6. Add 1 tbsp yoghurt and mix.

7. Add rice (without water in which it was soaked). Cover the pan with a lid and let the rice cook HALFWAY. Make sure it isn’t fully cooked when you take it off the stove.

8. When rice is half cooked, drain excess water in a strainer. With rice still in the strainer, add some kesar (in liquid form for colour).

Vegetables can be prepared while the rice is cooking and later be transferred to the main pot. However, I used the same for both processes, one after the other.

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan over medium flame.

2. Add bay leaves, cloves, cardamom and pepper as per taste.

3. Add the remaining onions. Saute for about 2 minutes till onions are lightly browned.

4. Add tomatoes. Add salt (as per taste), 1 tsp turmeric and 1 chopped green chilli (The original recipe used red chilli powder but I don’t prefer it due to health reasons). Mix and let cook for a while.

5. Add the chopped beans, carrots, capsicum and peas. Mix well.

6. Add 2 tbsp yoghurt and mix.

7. Add 1 cup of water and let vegetables cook for some time till they become tender (about 10 mins).

8. Add pieces of paneer over the vegetable mix. Do not move anything with the spatula.

9. Cover the vegetables with half-cooked rice, very gently. Do not mix.

10. Now reduce flame to low, and cover with a lid for 10 minutes.

Note 3: I also added a cloth under the lid (in the traditional style) during the last ten minutes. Be careful that it doesn’t catch the flame.

Biryani is cooked!! Serve with long-chopped onions and yoghurt.

You bet it tastes great. The original recipe added ghee over the final result and garnished with pomegranate seeds. I omitted ghee entirely because not a great fan.

This recipe is tried and tested, and it came out fabulous in the first try itself. Happy cooking!