Before blogging I used to make this dish in long weekends or whenever there is a guest in our house. My husband chops vegetables only for biryani and raita. This time, I did all the work to make our favorite meal very meticulously . And during the chopping part, my daughter suggested that instead of dipping the onions in water (to avoid the burning of eyes), she told me to wear sunglasses. I thought she was just joking but she insisted on doing so. To please her, I reluctantly wore my sunglasses, and surprisingly, it worked! It’s weird, huh!
Vegetable biryani
Ingredients:
Basmati rice or (seeraga samba rice) - 2 cups
Onions (medium) - 4 (thinly sliced)
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic (big) - 3 cloves (grated)
Green chilies - 2 (medium-sized)
Tomatoes (medium & ripe) - 4 (chopped finely)
Mint leaves - 1 small bunch (chopped)
Beans - 1 cup (chopped 1 into inch pieces)
Green peas - 1 cup (fresh)
Carrots (medium) - 2 (chopped into 1 inch pieces)
Red chili powder - 1 tsp.
Curd - 2 tbsp.
Ghee
Salt
Cashew nuts - 10
Coriander leaves (chopped) - 3 tbsp.
Oil
Dry spices:
Cinnamon (1 inch) - 2
Cloves - 2
Fennel seeds - ½ tsp.
Bay leaves - 2
Cumin seeds -½ tsp.
Cardamom - 2
Mace - 2 pieces
Kalpasi - 1 piece
Rose petals - 2(dry)
Color rice (optional):
Basmati rice - ¼ cup
Saffron color - a few pinches
Method:
Soak the rice for 20 minutes.
Pound the spices coarsely except bay leaves in mortar with pestle.
Grind the ginger and green chilies without any water.
Heat oil in a thick, deep non-stick pan which has a lid.
Add the coarse spices along with bay leaves.
Add the onions and sauté till light brown color.
Add the garlic, ginger, chili and sauté till the raw smell fades away.
Now add the chopped mint leaves and sauté till it wilts.
Add the tomatoes and sauté till it turns mushy by adding a little salt.
Now add the carrots, beans and peas and fry for a minute.
Add the red chili powder and mix well.
Add the yogurt.
Add the soaked rice by draining the water.
Add a few drops of ghee and gently mix.
Add 3 ¼ cup of water and add required salt.
Cover it with a lid and let it cook.
After 5 minutes, remove the lid and cover it with a double-folded thick aluminum foil and place the lid on the top of it.
Cook for 15 minutes in simmer mode.
Switch off the stove. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
Fry the cashew nuts till they turn golden color in ghee.
Now spread the biryani on a huuuuuuge, big plate
(Color rice (optional):
Cook the rice separately by adding food color and 2 drops of oil.)
Sprinkle a few drops of ghee, cashew nuts, color rice and coriander leaves.
Gently mix them without breaking the rice.
Enjoy with raita and kurma.
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Total cooking time: 30 minutes
Sautéing: 10 minutes
Normal cooking: 5 minutes
Dhumming: 15 minutes
Note:
Adjust the spices and chilies according to taste.
Adding few drops of lemon juice and color rice is optional.
Remove bay leaves before serving.
I never add fried onions for this biryani.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Potato Kurma (v2.0)
Ingredients:
Potatoes - 2
Onions - 2 (chopped)
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 2 cloves
Tomatoes - 2 (chopped)
Melon seeds - ¼ cup
Grated coconut - ¼ cup
Green chilies - 2 (slit)
Red chili powder - ¾ tsp.
Coriander powder - 2 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Fennel seeds - ½ tsp.
Cumin seeds - ½ tsp.
Bay leaves - 1
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Salt
Oil
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp. (chopped)
Method:
Cut the potatoes into halves and steam-cook them. Peel the skin and chop them.
Soak the melon seeds in warm water for 15-20 minutes.
Pound the fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, ginger and garlic in mortar with pestle.
Heat oil, add the spices and fry.
Add onions, green chilies & tomatoes one by one and fry.
Reduce the heat and add the chilies, coriander & turmeric powder.
Grind the melon seeds without discarding water.
Add the ground melon seeds and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add the potatoes and mix gently.
Add required water and bring it to a boil.
Grind the coconut gratings with water and add them to this mixture.
Let it cook for 4 minutes.
Remove from heat and add the coriander leaves.
Serve with biryani or parathas.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Onion and Tomato Raita
Add thinly sliced onions, chopped & deseeded tomatoes, chopped coriander leaves, deseeded green chilies and salt to the beaten curd.
Mix well & enjoy with biryani.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Curd Rice or Bagalabath
Cook the raw rice into a mushy state.
Add milk, yogurt, grated ginger, grated mango, chopped coriander leaves and salt to the rice.
Temper in oil with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafetida, bengal gram, urad dal, broken dry red chiliesand curry leaves.
Add to the rice and mix well.
Sent off to Shama's "
Family's Favorite Food Event 2010" and potato kurma to SriLekha's "
EFM-Parathas & Gravies/Curries" event.
Posts
