Vegetable Biryani

Vegetable Biryani

Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Servings: 4-5
Difficulty: 2/5

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp oil
• Whole spices (2 bay leaves, 2 cinnamon sticks, 3 cloves, 3 whole cardamom with husk slightly crushed, 2 star anise)
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 1/2 cups vegetables (carrots, green beans, green peas, potatoes, lima beans, cauliflower, etc.)
• 3-5 green chillies
  
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1-2 tsp red chilli powder
  
• 2 tsp garam masala powder
• 1 tsp dhaniya-jeera powder
• 1/4 cup coriander leaves, coarsely chopped
  
• 1/4 cup mint leaves, coarsely chopped
  
• 2 cups basmati rice
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp salt or per taste

Preparation

1. Soak basmati rice in water for half an hour.
2.  Get the vegetables ready by chopping them all into more or less the same size. You can also use frozen mixed vegetables.
3. To a large dutch oven (or nonstick pan) on medium heat, add the oil and the whole spices. Add the sliced onion and cook until translucent. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for a few minutes.
4. Add the chopped vegetables and cook them for 10 minutes, stirring now and then. Add green chillies, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, dhaniya-jeera powder and cook for a few minutes. Add chopped coriander and mint leaves.
5. Drain the basmati rice and add to the pan. Stir thoroughly and add 2 cups water for every 1 cup of basmati rice. Bring to a boil, add salt to taste, stir, and let cook uncovered until most of the water has been absorbed. Mix the rice, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook covered for 5 minutes until all the water has been absorbed by the rice.
6. Let rest for 5 minutes and serve with raita or plain yogurt.

(This recipe is from a friend of mine (Thanks Sabitha!). She made this from start to finish in under an hour when I dropped by her house on short notice. I make Vegetable Pulav regularly and love it, but this seemed different and interesting. So, I asked her for the recipe and tried it the same night for dinner. It has now become a regular recipe in my house. Gotta love one-pot meals!)