Quick Vegetable Biryani

Fragrant rice cooked with aromatic spices and vegetables makes Vegetable Biryani tasty as well as healthy. Vegetable Biryani is made all over India with different versions. Today we are making a North Indian version of it. I have used peas, carrot, cauliflower and beans.  You can use vegetables of your choice. Soak rice for half an hour before making the pulao. This way the rice grain will be separated from each other. I like the soft texture of cooked rice, unlike the al dente version served in restaurants. Basmati rice usually takes 1:2 ratio of water . In pre soaked rice you can reduce it by ¼ cup i.e. in one cup of presoaked rice you add 13/4  cup water. There is another grandma formula for water measurement and ie. when you finally add rice and water after cooking vegetables, just dip your middle finger in  rice and the water should touch the first line of your finger. I always follow this rule because this way even you can cook rice without measuring. So do try it friends, you will find it very convenient . 

We Need:

• 1 Cup Basmati rice. 

• 1 cup Peas

• ½ Cup cauliflower florets

• ½ Cup Chopped Carrot

• ½ Beans cut in small pieces. 

• 2 Onions Sliced

• 2 Tomatoes Sliced

• 8 to 10 Garlic Cloves

• 2" Piece Ginger

• 2 green Chillies

• 6 Cloves

• 1 Tejpatta

• 1 Tbsp Cumin Seeds

• 2"  Piece Cinnamon (Dalchini) 

• 7 to 8 whole Black pepper. 

• 1 Black Cardamom

• 2 to 3 Green Cardamom. 

• 2 Tsp Salt or to taste

• 1 Tsp Red chilli powder. 

• 2 Tbsp Yellow Butter

• 2 Tbsp Cooking Oil

• 2 Tbsp of Fresh Coriander

Here We go :

1. Wash Rice thoroughly till the water runs clear. Soak them in water for half an hour. 

   

2. In a mortal and pestle add garlic, ginger and green chillies. Make a paste of it. Alternatively you can grind them also. 

   

3. Cut onion into thin slices. Wash and cut tomatoes finely. 

   

4. Wash and cut vegetables into small pieces. Keep aside. 

   

5. Heat oil and butter in a pan. 

6. When oil is heated, add cumin, tejpatta, black and green cardamom, cinnamon and whole black pepper. Roast them for a min. 

   
   

7. When whole spices are roasted add finely sliced onions to them. 

   

8. When onions turn pink, add ginger garlic and green chilli paste to them. Saute them till fragrant. 

   

9. Time to add finely chopped tomatoes now. Saute till they become mushy. Give the masala a good mix. Add fresh coriander also. 

   

10. To this masala add all the vegetables and saute them for two minutes. Don't cook the vegetables, they will be cooked later along with rice. 

    

11. Drain water from soaked rice. Now add drained rice to the vegetable mixture in pan. Mix them thoroughly with vegetables and the rice are coated well with the butter and ghee in the pan. 

    
    

12. When everything is mixed together add water to the pan. After adding water stir the rice gently and then cover the pan with a lid.

    

13.  Keep the flame on low and leave it for 20 minutes. Don't stir them in between. Take a grain of rice in between your finger and thumb and press. If the rice feel soft and is mashed by pressure, they are cooked. If you feel any hard particle leave it for a minute on flame. Now switch off the gas and leave them for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes open the pan and serve hot with any raita of your choice. 

    

Tips:

Wash the Rice gently otherwise the grain will break and you won't get the desired results. 

Always stir rice in ghee before adding water, so as to coat them well with fat. This way the grains of the rice will separate.