VEGETABLE BIRYANI

 

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This Indian Recipe Serves 6-8

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A Classic Indian vegetable biryani is a flawless dish for any event.

Biryani otherwise called biriyani or biriani, is a blended rice dish with its origins among the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. It is mainstream all through the subcontinent & among the diaspora from the area. It is made with flavors, rice, meat &/or vegetables.

It can be prepared using long grain basmati rice or parboiled rice.

South Africans usually prepare biryanis’ with parboiled rice.

“Biryani” is a Urdu word got from the Persian dialect, which was utilized as an official dialect as a part of various parts of medieval India, by different Islamic administrations.

Pronunciation: Bee-r-ya-nee

 

Vegetable Biryani Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 5 small jam tomatoes, blanched
• 2 teaspoons ginger & garlic paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 potatoes
• 1 star aniseed
• cooking oil
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• ½ teaspoon jeera powder
• 2 teaspoons dhania powder
• 1 teaspoon jeera seeds
• 2 tablespoons Bombay Delite masala
• 1 ½ tablespoon curry powder
• 3 tablepoons Kashmiri chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder + additional 1 teaspoon
• salt to taste
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• ½ cup biryani dhall (masoor)
• 2 carrots
• ½ cup frozen sweetcorn (optional)
• ¼ cabbage
• ½ cup frozen peas
• 250 grams green beans
• 1 sprig thyme
• yellow food coloring
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 ½ cups rice
• fresh dhania (coriander), for garnishing

Method:

1. Wash rice until water runs clear.
2. Add 1 teaspoon turmeric powder & boil until half cooked.
3. Drain & set aside.
4. Rinse the biryani dhall (masoor) & boil until half cooked.
5. Drain & set aside.
6. 
7. Cut onions.
8. Slice cabbage fine, rinse & keep aside in a bowl.
9. 
10. Cut the green beans, rinse & keep aside.
11. Wash & peel carrots, then cut them in small pieces & set aside.
12. 
13. Peel & rinse potatoes.
14. 
15. Cut potatoes in quarters.
16. 
17. Full the bowl with water & set aside.
18. In another bowl, drop in the peas & sweetcorn & set aside.
19. 
20. Blanch tomatoes. (Click here for blanching method).
21. 
22. In a large pot, heat the oil.
23. Add in the onions, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, star aniseed, curry leaves & jeera seeds.
24. 
25. Fry until onions are translucent.
26. Add the ginger & garlic paste, turmeric powder, jeera powder, dhania powder, garam masala, chilli powder, curry powder & masala.
27. Fry for 2-3 minutes.
28. Add in the blanched tomatoes.
29. Cook for 10-12 minutes.
30. Add water if necessary.
31. Drop in the cabbage, carrots & green beans.
32. 
33. Mix well & add water so that the vegetables cook well.
34. 
35. Whilst the vegetables are cooking, go back to the potatoes.
36. Drain the water out & microwave them on high for 3-4 minutes.
37. 
38. Add 2 drops of yellow food coloring to the potatoes & give them a good mix so that the color coats them all.
39. 
40. In a separate pot, add oil for deep frying.
41. When oil is sizzling, carefully drop in potatoes & deep fry until golden & soft.
42. 
43. When cooked, set aside.
44. 
45. Keep stirring the vegetables & adding water so that they cook well.
46. 
47. When the vegetables are cooked, add in the sweetcorn & peas.
48. 
49. Mix well. then add in the biryani dhall.
50. Add a few drops of yellow food coloring to the rice & mix well so that the color gets on most of the rice.
51. Gently add in the rice to the vegetables slowly.
52. Mix well as you drop the rice in.
53. Cover & all to cook until the rice is soft.
54. 
55. Add salt to taste.
56. Cook until all the water has evaporated.
57. Place the fried potatoes in the pot. Garnish with fresh dhania (coriander).
58. 
59. 
60. 
61. Serve vegetable biryani with pea dhall, carrot salad, carrot sour milk salad or pickles.
62. 
63. I served it with curried dhall & carrot salad.
64.