ThisVegetable Biryani recipe is a rice recipe that is cooked on special occasions such as festivals, parties, celebrations. Biryani is also spelt and pronounced as biriyani. It is a special rice and vegetables dish. It is a rich dish as it uses dry fruits, spices, herbs and yogurt. The vegetables include capsicum, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, green peas. It can be a one dish meal too.

It is different from vegetable pulao. When you make pulao, rice is cooked with vegetable and spices. When you make Biryani, you cook the rice and vegetables separately and then both are cooked in a oven in dry heat. The taste pulav and biryani different because of this.

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How to make Vegetable Biryani

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Ingredients to Serve 2

Basmati rice - 1 cup

saffron - 2 pinches

onions - 1 cup sliced thin

cashew nuts - 6

raisins - 1 tbsp

tomatoes - 1 cup finely chopped

yoghurt - 1/2 cup

mixed vegetables - 2 cups boiled till just done.

coriander - 1 tbspchopped

ghee(vegetable oil) - 2 tbsp

butter - 2 tbsp salt to taste

Grind to a paste the folowing:

garlic - 2 cloves

mint leaves - 2 tbsp chopped

ginger - 1/2 inch piece

green chili - 1

cardamoms- 2

poppy seeds - 1 tsp

Cinnamon - 1 inch stick

Cloves - 2

coriander powder - 1 tsp

turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

chili powder - 1/4 tsp

onion - 1

Cooking Vegetable Biryani Method:

1. Cook the rice till just done. Each grain of the cooked rice should be separate. Drain and cool.
2. Soak saffron in little hot milk.
3. Heat the ghee/oil and fry the cashew nuts, remove onto a plate. Add the onions in the same ghee, fry until brown and crisp. Drain and remove. Add raisins and fry for a few seconds. Remove and keep aside for garnish.
4. In the same ghee, add the ground paste and fry for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and fry again.
5. Add the yoghurt and fry till the mixture thickens a bit.
6. Add the boiled vegetables, coriander and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Grease a baking dish. Spread half the rice at the bottom. Spread half the vegetables on it. Sprinkle half the saffron, half the onions, half the fried nuts.
8. Repeat with the remaining vegetables, rice, saffron and nuts. Dot with butter. Cover and bake in a hot oven for about 15 minutes. Otherwise you can also layer the vegetables and rice in a pan with a tight lid and keep on a very slow flame for 10 minutes.

Serve hot with cucumber raita, tomato raita and papadam.
I am sure you and your family will enjoy this vegetable biryani recipe.




Serve Vegetable Biryani with:

Cucumber Raita
Tomato Raita
Boondi Raita

See also More Rice Recipes:

Vegetable Fried Rice
Lemon Rice
Mango Rice
Curd Rice