Thursday, August 26, 2010

Hyderabadi Vegetable Biryani

 Ingredients:

Chopped Mixed Vegetables (such as Carrots, Red, Green and Yellow Peppers/Capsicums, French Beans, Green peas, Potatoes, Corn Kernels) - 3 cups 



Basmati/Long Grain Rice - 4 cups (cup = rice cooker cup)

Mint (Pudina) - 1 bunch

Cilantro (Coriander) - 1 bunch

Onions - 2 large julienned

Yogurt - 2 cups

Juice of lime - 2 tbs

Clarified Butter/Ghee - 1 tbs

Milk - 1/4rth cup

Spices

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Bay leaves - 6

Cinnamon Sticks - 4 medium sized

Cloves - 8

Shahi jeera/Royal Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Saunf/Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp

Whole Black Cardamoms - 2

Green Cardamoms - 3

Star Anise - 3

Mace - 3

Saffron - a few strands

Nutmeg - 1/4rth piece of a whole nutmeg or 1/4rth tsp of nutmeg powder

Dhaniya (Coriander) powder - 2 tsps

Garam Masala powder - 1 tsp

Ginger Garlic paste - 2 tsps

Turmeric powder - 2 pinches

Salt and Chilly powder - to taste

How to make Hyderabadi Subz Biryani

Chop the veggies and marinade them in yogurt, turmeric powder, salt, chilly powder, ginger garlic paste, juice of lime, dhaniya powder, garam masala powder, nutmeg powder, ground shahi jeera and saunf (grind the royal cumin and fennel seeds into a fine powder) and set aside for 30 minutes.

Finely chop Mint and Coriander. Keep aside

Julienne 2 large onions. Heat 6 tbs oil in a deep vessel, fry onions until brown. Remove onions. Keep aside.

In the same vessel, heat 1 tbs clarified butter/ghee. Add bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon sticks, whole cardamoms, green cardamoms, star anise, mace. Saute until bay leaves turn light brownish. Remove the spices. Keep aside.

Wash Basmati Rice, add the fried spices. Add water, let the rice soak for at least 30 minutes and then cook either in rice cooker or on stove.

In the same deep vessel used previously, add another 3 tbs oil/ghee (clarified butter - if you don't mind the calories). Add the marinaded veggies along with yogurt etc, cover with lid and cook until the veggies turn tender. Remove lid and continue cooking until almost 3/4rth of the water evaporates, And do leave some gravy with the veggies. Keep aside.

Once the basmati rice is cooked, you can remove the spices if you want to, else keep it. (I prefer to keep them).

In the deep vessel, at the bottom spread a layer of veggies with gravy and top it with some fried onions and chopped mint and cilantro. Spread some cooked rice over this layer.

Again spread a layer of the remaining veggies with gravy and top it with some more fried onions, chopped mint and cilantro. Spread the remaining cooked rice over this layer. Top it with the remaining fried onions.

Warm 1/4rth cup of milk and add saffron to the warm milk. Mix until color is released (rubbing the saffron between your thumb slightly before dropping them in warm milk helps to release the color). Pour this mixture over the rice. (around the inner rim/corners of the vessel and also in between the vessel)

Cover tightly with lid. Do not let any steam escape. (I usually wet a cotton cloth & tie it tightly around the lid of the vessel, also sealing the lid with wheat dough helps.). Cook on very low flame for 15 minutes. Remove from flame.

Serve Hot with Raita.

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