Ingredients (Serves 5 – 6)
1. Oil / ghee/ butter – 2 tbsp
2. Cauliflower florets – 1.5 cup, carrot – 1 medium-large cubed, green beans – 1/2 cup cut into 1 inch pieces, potato – 1 medium-large, cubed
3. Fresh / frozen green peas – 1/4 cup
4. Cardamom – 2, cloves – 3, cinnamon stick – 1/2 inch, kala jeera – 1/4 tsp
5. Ginger-garlic paste – 2 tsp
Green chilies – 2, slit
6. Fried onion – 3/4 cup
Tomato – 1 medium, chopped
Turmeric powder – 1/4 + 1/4 tsp
Kashmiri chilly powder – 3/4 + 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder – 3/4 tsp
7. Yoghurt – 1/4 cup
8. Salt – To taste
9. Mint leaves – 2 tbsp, chopped
Cilantro – 2 tbsp, chopped
10. Paneer – 1 cup, cubed (optional)
For the rice
11. Biriyani rice / basmati rice – 2.5 cups, soaked in enough water for 25 minutes
Ghee – 2 tsp
Whole spices – Cardamom – 2, cloves – 3, kala jeera/ shahi jeera – 1/4 tsp, cinnamon stick – 1/2 inch, star anise – 1 small
Fried onion – 1/4 cup
Salt – As required
To garnish
13. Fried onion – 1/4 cup
Mint and cilantro – 3 tbsp each, chopped
Saffron – 1 pinch, soaked in 2 tbsp hot water / milk
Method
1. Heat 1.5 tbsp butter / ghee in a deep heavy-bottomed pan. Add cauliflower, potato and carrot pieces. Season with salt. Saute at medium-high heat for 5 – 6 minutes until slightly golden. Add green beans and cook for 2 minutes. Add turmeric powder, chilly powder and cook for a minute. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
2. In the same pan, heat 2 – 3 tsp oil. Add whole spices numbered 4, ginger-garlic paste, green chilies and cook for 2 minutes at medium-low heat. Add fried onion, chopped tomatoes and cook for 2 – 3 minutes until tomatoes turn mushy. Add 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp kashmiri chilly powder and 3/4 tsp garam masala powder. Mix well. Stir for a minute. Add yoghurt and mix well. Cook for 2 minutes. Taste-check for salt. Add vegetables and mix well. Cook for a few minutes over low-medium heat. Switch off. Sprinkle 2 tbsp each of chopped mint and cilantro. Top it with cubed paneer (you can shallow fry the paneer, if you want) and set aside.
3. To cook rice – Boil water in a large vessel. Add all the ingredients numbered 11 except rice. Taste-check for salt (the water should be slightly salty). Add soaked and drained rice. Bring it to a boil and cook for 7 – 9 minutes until rice is 75 % done. Drain well in a colander and add the hot rice on top of the cooked vegetables. Top it with fried onion, chopped mint and cilantro. Sprinkle saffron milk. Cover it with an aluminium foil and place the lid.
4. Heat a large tawa at medium heat. Place the biriyani pot on top of the tawa and cook at medium heat for 6 – 8 minutes. Bring down the flame to low and cook for 20 minutes. Switch off. Set aside for 10 – 15 minutes. Open the lid and mix gently. Serve hot with raita, pickle and pappad.
This Biriyani had a strange funky smell instead of nice aroma. I thought it’s from cooking in yogurt. I used non fat branded yogurt. It was a lot of effort to cook & greatly disappointed about the unappetizing smell.
Hi Maya,
Yesterday I tried this biriyani and it came out great!!! My hus and daughter loved it. Its smell and taste are exactly like the one we had from restaurents!!!. You are doing a great job dear. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Keep going. Stay blessed.!!!
Hi Maya… I tried this recipe for the guests we had invited for lunch today… The Biriyani turned out to be awesome… The look, feel and smell was just as if it was made by a professional chef… Thanks a ton for sharing such wonderful and easy-to-follow recipes. Looking forward for more…
Perfect !…..just made it and relished….added a few fennel seeds too to give an extra punch.
Thankyou Maya