Veg Biryani

When people ask if I am vegetarian, I say “given a choice, yes”. Firstly, I am a food scientist, so I have always kept an open mind when it comes to eating meat, rather tasting everything. Being able to taste everything is very important and to be open to working on any project that comes my way. Secondly, I love to travel and also need to travel a lot as part of my job. Vegetarian options are not always easily available and being able to eat eggs, fish or chicken every once in a while is helpful. And last but not the least, I am married to a meat lover! I love making his favorite dishes for him as its very rewarding and being able to eat the same curry just with some veggies added to it is a blessing when it comes to not having to cook two separate meals 😛

Above all, I feel having the ability to taste everything and to preferentially and passionately like vegetarian food helps me understand the gaps and figure out the perfect recipes that taste not “like the meat version” but better than it. This vegetable Biryani arguably tastes better than any other biryani, (and that’s just my opinion and my husband’s to, although he will not admit it!), I will not entertain debates gearing towards vegetable biryani is not a biryani, its pulav, etc. this is a legit biryani and one of the best ones you’ll have, I bet 🙂

This recipe serves 6-8

You will need:

2 medium-large red onions

Mint+cilantro+ginger+garlic+green chilli
1/4 cup cashewnut pieces – soaked in hot water for 20 min
1/2 large green capsicum
1 small green chilli
1/2 lbs mixed frozen vegetables (frozen pack off peas, carrots, beans and corn)
1/2 lb button mushrooms – cut in quarters or thick slices
3 cups basmati rice
3/4 cup of plain yogurt
1 tbsp cento tomato paste
Khada masala – pepper, clove, Elaichi (cardamim – big and small), cinnamon, bay leaf, star anise, shah jeera, jaipatri (mace), jaiphal (nutmeg)

4 tbsp Butter

heavy cream
2 tsp corriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp Everest biryani masala
1/2 tsp Goda masala (maharashtrian masala)
1 tsp Garam masala,

1 tsp kitchen king masala

1 tsp red chilli powder

salt, sugar

milk, saffron, ghee

chopped cilantro

Procedure:

• Wash 2.5 cups of rice and soak it for 1/2 an hour.
• Drain it and cook it in a rice cooker (or a pot with boiling water) with 3.5 cups of water + 1 tsp of Everest biryani masala added to the water and some nutmeg powder

• Slice 1.5 of the 2 onions and fry it golden brown – keep aside

• Cut the rest of the half onion into squares
• Cut the capsicum also in squares
• cut mushrooms into thick slices
• Lightly fry/sauté the onion, capsicum squares and mushroom slices on high heat – keep aside

• Grind together the fried onions (keep some for decoration), the soaked cashewnuts, Mint+cilantro+ginger+garlic+green chilli and make one paste

• In a pan heat 4 tbsp of butter and add whole spices – 6 peppercorns, 1 inch piece of cinnamon, 1 masala elaichi, 1 small elaichi, 1 clove, 1/2 tsp of shaha jeera, 1 bay leaf, 1 javitri and small piece of star anise

• Next add the fried onion paste, tomato paste and sauté well
• Next add the yogurt
• Keep sautéing till oil start to leave

• Add all the dry spice powders – turmeric, Dhana jeera powder, Everest garam masala, kitchen king masala and a little bit of kepra goda masala
• Add a little hot water to deglaze the pan as needed

• Add the frozen veggies and the onion+capsicum+mushroom
• Adjust salt and chilli powder and add a little bit of sugar
• Finish with some cream
• Add coal smoke (optional) I did add it and do highly recommend it!
• Heat a piece of natural coal on the flame until red hot. Keep a bowl in the middle of prepared biryani gravy and place the red hot coal in it. Add a pinch of biryani masala on the red hot portion followed with some oil and cover immediately. Let smoke for a few minutes, then remove the lid and the bowl with the coal.
  
  Assemble the biryani:
• After the rice is cooked layer it on half of the prepared gravy
• Repeat a layer of gravy and rice
• Finish with a layer of rice and Top everything with fried onion, chopped cilantro, milk+saffron and some ghee
• Cook covered for a few minutes until steamy
• Serve hot

Using mushrooms and the cashewnut paste helps give it the umami notes that you miss when you remove meat. cashewnuts also add that extra creamy greasiness which also comes from meat fat. Using pre-cooked veggies, prevents the earthy vegetable taste from getting into the gravy and the biryani tastes fantastic! If not using frozen veggies, pre blanch all veggies, drain the stock and then use. The onions, capsicum and mushrooms are purposely cooked with the gravy to get the flavor. If you do not want to use mushrooms, increase the amount of veggies. the taste will be not as good, but still a great tasting biryani 🙂

The gravy freezes very well. I often make a big batch and freeze half of it and only make enough rice for half of it to have it fresh. the next time I crave biryani, all I have to make is the rice and a bag of frozen gravy is ready to make delicious biryani with!