A good vegetable biryani proves that you don’t need meat to make a satisfying biryani. Fragrant basmati rice is layered with a richly spiced vegetable masala, fresh herbs and fried onions, then finished on dum until every grain is infused with flavour.
The key to a great vegetable biryani is treating the vegetables with the same care you would a meat curry. Potatoes, carrots, peas and cauliflower are cooked in a tomato and yoghurt-based masala until tender and well-seasoned before being layered with partially cooked rice.
This recipe makes a generous family-sized biryani and is perfect served with raita, kachumber salad or your favourite pickle.
Vegetable Biryani
Course: Lunch, DinnerDifficulty: Medium8
people30
minutes30
minutes1
hourIngredients
1 cauliflower
½ cabbage
1 large capsicums
1½ cups carrots
2 potatoes
1½ cups beans
1½ cups peas
3 large tomatoes
6 green chillies
2 medium eggplants
3 medium onions
1 tbsp (heaped) ginger & garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
fresh coriander leaves
lemon juice
½ tsp garam masala powder
¼ cup fried onions
3 cups rice
6 tsp salt
Directions
- Prep the vegetables
- Chop all the vegetables.
- Fill a wok halfway with oil.
- Deep fry the potatoes, cauliflower, capsicum, carrots, beans, eggplant, peas, green chillies, cabbage; one at a time until light golden.
- Keep the flame high and don’t stir too often or it’ll get watery.
- Drain in a colander.
- Cook tomatoes
- Pour some of the deep frying oil (1/4 cup) into a big pot and fry the onions till light golden but not browned. We don’t want it be sweet.
- Add 3 tsp salt, tomatoes, ginger garlic paste, and add red chilli powder.
- Cook covered till tomatoes are soft.
- Uncover and cook till water dries and oil rises. If there’s not enough oil add some more.
- Add chopped coriander leaves. Add veggies and stir to even out.
- Parboil the rice
- Wash the rice until the water runs clear. Soak for 30 minutes.
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add 6 tsp salt.
- Add the rice and cook until approximately 70% done.
- Drain immediately.
- Layering
- Spread a thin layer of rice on the bottom of a heavy-based pot.
- Add half of the vegetable mixture. Add another layer of rice.
- Repeat with the remaining vegetable mixture. Finish with the remaining rice.
- Top with some fried onions. Drizzle over the food colouring mixture and lemon juice.
- Dum
- Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid. Cook on very low heat for 30–40 minutes.
- Rest for 10 minutes before opening.
- Gently fluff the rice and serve.
Notes
- Don’t overcook the rice during boiling; it will continue cooking on dum.
- Keep the vegetable masala fairly dry to avoid mushy rice.
- Fried onions add sweetness and depth, so don’t skip them.
