Monday 25 March 2013

Vegetable Biriyani


'Biriyani', the mention of this word alone is enough to fill my mouth with water sufficient to sail a ship !!! Back at home this is not a very frequent dish. Mom used to prepare this maybe once in a month or so.. But once you are abroad or living with a group of friends the scene shifts completely rite?? I am not completely certain of the reasons, but this dish will find its way at least once a week or many a times more than that. Can be the lack/shortage of 'Thalapakattu Biriyani kadai' or other wonderful restaurants that serve you this, in every other street of the city where you live. Or the very pride that you feel in front of your friends when you are done with the preparation & the aroma fills your home.. And most importantly, this one 'one pot meal' along with a simple raita is enough for your Sunday menu or when friends come along for a casual weekend get together. So anyways, the reasons are plenty and so is the way in which this awesome food is prepared.



And the version here is one which I learned from Deeps.. My mom makes the biriyani in slightly different styles, maybe I would post that sometimes later. Of all the homemade biriyanis that I have had, I would given Deeps' version the numero uno position. I simply love the correct blend of the spices & masala.. More importantly, the rice doesn't get burnt or stuck to the bottom of the pan nor does it break. You can see the long grains of the rice coated with masala inviting you very dearly.. Ohh my.. I am literally drooling writing this up. And mind you, veg biriyani was never in my list when there is a never ending palette of chicken, mutton, prawn etc etc etc biriyanis. But believe me, I started loving veg biriyani also very much, after I laid my hands on this version.



But there was only one disadvantage.. Every Sunday, I would be his apprentice and clean up chicken or cut vegetables and he would be the chef. And I did not  learn how to make this. That's when the realization stuck me. Then, there was no stopping.. I donned the hat of the chef, learned and made it on my own. Yes, it came out very well and hence it has found it's way onto this space now. Over to the recpie..



Recipe from Deeps:


Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 40-45 minutes


I Used:






Basmati Rice             -  3 cups
Water                      -  5 ¼ cups (3 * 1 ¾ cups)
Onion                       -  3 nos (medium sized)
Tomato                    -  1 no (medium sized)
Carrot                      -  2 nos (medium sized)
Beans                       - 15-20 nos
Potato                      -  2 nos (medium sized)
Green Peas               -  ½ cup (I used frozen ones)
Mint leaves               -  10 sprigs
Coriander leaves       -  10 sprigs
Green Chilly                    -  2 nos
Ginger Garlic paste    -  1 tbsp
Lemon juice             -  ½ a lemon's
Cinnamon stick         -  1 inch piece
Cloves                     -  4 nos
Cardamom               -  3 nos
Bay leaf                   -  2 leaves
Chilly powder           -  1 tsp
Coriander powder     -  2 tsp
Turmeric powder     -  ½ tsp
Biriyani masala          -  1 tsp
Garam masala            -  1 tsp
Ghee                      -  As needed
Salt                        -  As needed



The Way:

  1. Rinse the rice and soak it in water
  2. Cut the vegetables - onion, tomato, carrot, beans & potato into thin slices
  3. Defrost the green peas
  4. Separate the mint leaves from the sprigs
  5. Chop the coriander leaves & green chillies
  6. Heat little ghee in a pan. Add the sliced carrot, beans & potato and fry for a few minutes. This is for the veggies to remain intact & not break when we add rice. Keep this aside
  7. Heat ghee in the same pan. Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom (remove the pods & add the seeds inside), bay leaves (crush them before adding) and saute
  8. When the combined aroma of the spices start coming, add the sliced onions. Saute the onions till they become soft & oil separates from them
  9. Add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes off
  10. Now add tomatoes & green chillies and saute till the tomatoes become soft
  11. Add the ghee tossed vegetables, green peas & half the mint leaves
  12. Add chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, biriyani masala & salt. Add one cup of water and mix well
  13. Cover the pan and cook until the vegetables are almost done
  14. Once the vegetables are soft and cooked, add rice and the remaining 4 ¼ cups of water
  15. Add garam masala, lemon juice, coriander leaves & remaining mint leaves and mix well
  16. Now taste the mix for salt and hotness. Adjust to your taste buds accordingly
  17. Cover the pan and cook in medium fire for 15 minutes
  18. After 15 minutes check if the rice is done and water has evaporated completely. Else  reduce the flame further and cook for another 5-10 minutes (It took me 5 extra minutes)
  19. You can see that the rice has neither stuck to the bottom of the pan & nor has broken down. Long beautiful grains of basmati rice gives the biriyani a rich look
  20. Once the rice is done, off the flame and leave the pan in the heat of the stove till you serve

Notes:

  • Rice : Water ratio of 1:1 ¾ works perfectly well for me. I use India Gate basmati rice for making this biriyani
Chitz

40 comments:

  1. My fav and its one of the best dishes, made with rice. I find that its time consuming and mostly I am eating plain rice. I would love to try because never made a vegetarian version. I was thinking of a beriyani recipe for this weekend and here comes yours. Thinking of combining some boiled eggs as well.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Drooling here..the grains r perfectly cooked ..mouthwateringgggggggg

    ReplyDelete
  3. lovely biriyani chitra... pls pass on that plate to me, i'm hungry... :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yummyyyy....Drooling here...tempting clicks too

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ah! The Biriyani looks perfect, tender, whole perfectly cooked rice..my mouth is watering already

    ReplyDelete
  6. looks tempting ...
    rice looks perfect...nice clicks..

    ReplyDelete
  7. looking at first picture i thought how can i grab this bowl. very tempting.

    ReplyDelete
  8. you are tempting me. You are too selfish.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Drool worthy,perfectly made biryani..

    ReplyDelete
  10. Perfectly cooked rice and soooooooooooooooooo attractive platter....

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks for droppong by at my space and for ur sweettttttt comment :)
    who doesnt love Biriyani ...i can have it anytime..yummy :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Prefectly cooked and very tempting briyani, who can resist to this flavourful one pot meal.

    ReplyDelete
  13. So yummy vegetable biryani,Chitz!! Lovely pictures!!
    http://www.rita-bose-cooking.com/

    ReplyDelete
  14. Very flavorful and delicious biriyani

    ReplyDelete
  15. Biryani looks so perfect and delicious....lovely clicks...

    ReplyDelete
  16. The Biryani sounds so delish Chitra. I will try it out sometime :) Love the clicks too!

    ReplyDelete
  17. biryani looks very delectable n flavorful...

    ReplyDelete
  18. thats a luvly post chitz... thanx fr stopping by at my place

    Ongoing Event- Mummy Ka Magic

    ReplyDelete
  19. Chitz........i have a Liebster Award for u, do collect it from my space :) enjoy n keep going!

    ReplyDelete
  20. My goodness! Looks perfect. I can see each & every grain in the biriyani, just perfect.
    When I make it, usually it is not this grainy, it becomes kinda soggy. I think, I should keep yours as ultimate biriyani & try this one.
    Rightly put, when you say "one pot meal", the only problem is you have to cut a lot of vegetables :-)
    Although I have heard of Thalapakattu Biriyani, never tasted one. So dunno.
    But do we need garam masala for this authentic biriyani?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. D does add it every time.. And it's not much too and adds to the flavor..

      Delete
  21. Looks very colorful and inviting...beautiful presentation.

    http://kitchentantras.com/sweet-punjabi-lassi-bottoms-up/

    ReplyDelete
  22. can i have that whole platter plzzzzz.....u read what i had written abt me in the leibester award post, Chitz!!! anything for biriyani's. lovely click dear.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hehe.. Yup Sona.. I remember.. The mention of the word itself makes me drooly !!

      Delete
  23. Lovely Blog...and Biriyani looks just mouthwatering...

    ReplyDelete
  24. delicious biryani n lovely clicks...

    ReplyDelete
  25. Delicious vegetable biriyani . I love the color full rice

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hello Chitz! Thanks for stopping by my space and here I am returning the love. Your space is too yummy and I badly need a hanky right now.

    Your vege briyani can make anyone hungry dear. Perfecto!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. 1st time here. You have agreat blog. Happy to follow u. Lets keep in touch!

    ReplyDelete
  28. looks perfect and flavourful, best one pot meal...

    ReplyDelete
  29. Oh my! this looks so yum and picture perfect. Do visit my blog and participate in my event with giveaways. http://merrytummy.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/one-year-recap-event-and-3-giveways.html

    ReplyDelete
  30. Thanks everyone for ur lovely & valuable comments.. U guys made my day :)

    ReplyDelete
  31. This Biryani look super!! Do join me at my blog for a ood event and giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  32. WOw..wonderfully made biryani..fell in luv vth pic..

    ReplyDelete
  33. loving the biryani nice love the colour.

    ReplyDelete
  34. perfectly cooked briyani, lovely long grains...

    ReplyDelete
  35. Such a delicious and irresistible briyani... Lovely and delectable clicks.. Can I invite myself to your place Chitz ;-)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for stopping by !! I am really happy that you take time to let me know how you feel :-)