Sri's Vegetable Biryani

Thanks to my friend Srividya for sharing this delicious vegetable biryani recipe with me.
On a casual day in office, topic of discussion was food, vegetarian food..

Srividya : I can prepare hyderabadi vegetable biryani which tastes really good, may be better than non vegetarian biryani. But I know, for non vegetarians delicious biryani has to be the one made with non veg.

Me: Yeah.. For us a very good Biryani has to be the one with non veg.
Few Days Later..
Srividya: I have brought some vegetable biryani which I made at home for some guests. Would you like to taste it?
Me: Yes ofcourse, I want to taste it..
And here I am adding that vegetable biryani recipe in my blog.. She was totally right, it tasted great. Delicious. After trying the biryani from her, rightaway I asked her to share her recipe with me and with in a week we tried it at home for a weekday dinner. It came out really good, though not up to hers.

And yes, I agree that this can be a tough competition to chicken biryani.. :)

Here goes the recipe:

Ingredients:

1. Saffron - 1/2 tsp
2. Milk - 1/4 cup
3. Mint leaves - 1/2 cup
4. Ghee fried cashew nuts/raisins - 2-3 tbs (optional) 
5. Ghee - 2tbs

For Veg Masala:

1. Ghee\Oil - 4 tbs
2. Onion Sliced - 1+1 cup
3. Ginger, finely chopped - 1 tbs
4. Garlic, finey chopped - 1 tbs
5. Tomato, chopped - 1 cup
6. Carrot,chopped - 1/2 cup
7. Beans, cut into small pieces - 1/2cup
8. Green peas - 1/2 cup
9. Cauliflower, chopped - 2/3 cup
10. Fenugreek leaves/fresh methi leaves, chopped - 1/2 cup
11. Salt to taste
12. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
13. Chilli powder - 1 tsp
14. Coraiander powder - 1 tsp
15. Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
16. Yogurt, whisked - 1.5 cups

For Rice:

1. Basmati Rice - 2cups
2. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
4. Salt to taste
5. Ghee - I tbs

Note:

• Soak saffron the previous day itself and store in fridge to get dark saffron color
• Heating in oven or microwave after layering helps to give added flavour 

Method:

1. Soak saffron in 1/4 cup milk for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Rice: 

1. Wash and soak rice for 20 min
2. Drain it and keep it aside
3. Heat a thick bottomed pan for cooking rice
4. Add ghee
5. Splutter cumin seeds and add garam masala along with Rice
6. Saute for a minute in medium flame and add 4 cups of hot water and salt to taste
7. Once it starts to boil, Cover and cook rice in medium flame until all the water is absorbed and rice is cooked
8. Fluff the rice using and fork to separate rice grains 

Vegetable Masala:

 

1. Heat ghee or oil in a kadai
2. Add 1cup sliced onion and fry till golden brown and keep fried onion aside
3. Add rest of the onion to the same pan and once it is translucent, add ginger and garlic
4. Saute for a minute more
5. add all the vegetables and sauté again for 2 more minutes
6. Add fenugreek leaves and sauté for another minute
7. Add salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder and give a quick stir
8. Add chopped tomatoes and cook till it is mushy
9. Add yogurt to the above and mix well
10. Let the vegetables cook well in the closed kadai for about 20 minute
11. Once vegetables are cooked and gravy is thick switch off the stove 

Layering: 

1. Take a big deep flat bottomed microwave proof bowl or oven safe bowl
2. Brush a tbsp of ghee in the bowl
3. Spread a layer of rice in it, about 1/3 of rice
4. Sprinkle chopped mint leaves, 2tbs of saffron milk, 1/2 of chashewnuts, raisins and 1/2 of fried onion on the rice
5. Spread a layer of vegetable masala on the layered rice
6. Add another layer of rice and repeat the same for mint leaves, fried onion, saffron milk,chashewnuts, raisins and veg masala
7. Spread final layer of rice on top and any left over saffron milk and ghee on top
8. Close the bowl with aluminium foil and place it in hot oven for about 20 min. (If using microwave don't use aluminium foil, you may use microwave safe lid and microwave it for about 2-3min. )

Serve layered veg biryani with Raitha!