How To Make Vegetarian Biryani Recipe

Instructions:

Wash and rinse the rice to get rid of excess starch. Soak the rice for 30 minutes.

Bring water to a boil and add in soaked rice. Add salt, oil, and cook for 7-8 minutes, until rice is 90% cooked on medium flame. Drain water, and keep the rice aside.

Soak saffron strands in hot milk for 10-15 minutes

Biryani masala:

1. In a big pan/kadhai, heat oil on medium flame. Once hot, add chopped onions until brown. Add cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and bay leaf until fragrant. Add green chilli and ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute

2. Add vegetables, coriander powder mint leaves, and roast for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add chopped tomatoes,salt, and cook for 15-20 minutes, until veggies are fully cooked. Add little water if the masala is sticking to the bottom. You should see the oil separating around the edges

4. Reduce flame, add yoghurt and garam masala to cooked veggies. You should see the yogurt completely disappear.

Assemble:

1. Add cooked rice on top of the vegetable masala and tuck it in a few places in the masala. Spread the rest evenly.

2. Drizzle saffron milk and ghee over rice

3. Cover the pot with foil or a heavy lid and cook on slow flame for 20-25min.

4. Just before serving drizzle ballista/ fried onions.

Tips:

Use heavy bottomed pans to spread the heat evenly, while cooking

Make sure spices are just toasted, not burnt-else it will turn bitter

Mint, coriander powder, and bay leaf rule this recipe

Cut veggies the same size to ensure cooking evenly

Soak rice half an hour before cooking, this speeds up the process

Don't stir rice while it is boiling, the grins may break

Final touches of saffron and ghee are essential to flavour up the dish