Muglai, Dindugal, Hyderabadi, Ambur, Lucknowi….. Do these names strike a chord…. Yes its all about biryani. I took up “The great Biryani Challenge”with my family who unlike me are vegetable biryani lovers . My research skills was efficiently utilised to compare and contrast several biryani recipes.After a day of exhaustive recipe research I arrived at the final recipe of a vegetable biryani .. A compilation of what I thought was appropriate with respect to the ingredients and method of cooking.This food though said to be an import by the mughal and Persian invaders seems to have existed as”oon soru”in South of India as early as 2 AD. It was a combination of rice, meat, spices and ghee cooked together. The challenge was interesting and despite the Chennai heat I painstakingly did all the cutting, marinating, frying the birista and so on. This dish is a real wonder…. Full of nutrition and can be packed with all healthy base ingredients like vegetables or eggs or meat or a combination of all. Finally the marinated vegetables and half cooked rice were layered in a heavy bottomed vessel and was “dum phukt” a traditional peshawar cooking style.This cooking style is a slow cooking method and the special sealing of the cooking pan retains moisture, flavours and the rich aroma of cooked foods. The vegetable biryani I had made was more leaning towards the Hyderabadi style, was ready for the final verdict. I served the layered rice on to the plates and eagerly waited for the response. The smiles that followed the first spoonful indicated that I had won the challenge with scope for improvement of course.
INGREDIENTS
- BASMATHI RICE – 1 CUP
- MIXED VEGETABLES CUBED – 1 CUP
- ONIONS SLICED – 2 MEDIUM
- TOMATO SLICED – 2 MEDIUM
- GREEN CHILLIES – 3 SLIT
- CORIANDER LEAVES CHOPPED – 1/4 CUP
- PUDINA LEAVES – 1/4 CUP
- GARAM MASALA – 2 TSP
- CHILLI POWDER – 1 TSP
- TURMERIC POWDER – 1 TSP
- CURD – 1/2 CUP
- CINNAMON – 1 INCH PIECE
- CLOVES – 4
- GREEN CARDAMOM – 3
- BAY LEAF – 1
- PEPPER CORN – 1/4 TSP
- CUMIN SEEDS – 1 TSP
- ANNASI POO – 1
- GINGER GARLIC PASTE – 1 TBSP
- SALT – AS REQUIRED
- GROUNDNUT OIL – 4 TBSP
- A PINCH OF SAFFRON SOAKED IN 2 TBSP OF MILK
METHOD
- Wash soak basmathi rice in 2 cups of water.
- Take a heavy bottomed pan, add oil and the whole spices. Fry till the Cumin browns well.
- Add the sliced onions. Fry till pink and add the ginger garlic paste. Saute well till the onions brown well.
- Add the tomatoes followed by chilli and turmeric powders.
Saute till tomatoes turn mushy.Add the vegetables and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the required salt. Add the garam masala.
Add the curd and bring to a boil. - Cover and cook on low flame till the vegetables are cooked crisp and oil seperates. Don’t allow the vegetables to turn mushy.
- Drain rice. Boil 1.5 cups of water. Add the soaked and drained rice to the boiling water with a pinch of salt. Simmer the flame and cook till the water is absorbed.
- Take a mud pot or a heavy bottomed pan.
- Add a spoon of ghee. Begin layering with rice followed with vegetables.After every vegetable layer sprinkle a layer of coriander and pudina leaves. Alternate rice and vegetables and finish the last layer with rice. Drizzle the saffron milk. Cover with a tight fitting lid. Keep a heavy dosa tava on a simmer and place the rice pot on it and cook on “dum ” for 15 minutes.
- Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.
