Vegetable Biriyani

For certain dishes,I always prefer homemade to restaurant ones like pulaos and vegetable biriyani. Ammas vegetable biriyani and sambar is always everyones favourite among our circle of friends and relatives. When guests arrive for lunch, its sure to be vegetable biriyani, those who have tasted it before even request amma to specifically make it.

Either nonveg or veg , when it comes to biriyani.....I havent tasted any better than ammas. Hubby usually takes the short route of not eating on sunday mornings in the name of fasting ;) and then have chicken biryani for lunch to full tummy, he always says he should skip the before meal when its biriyani for lunch. Having watched amma making it for so many years, I've started recreating it though not 100% to her taste, it is sure tasty - this is the comment I've got from hubby!

Ingredients :

• Basmati Rice - 2 cups
• Coconut milk - 1/4 cup
• Cloves - 2
• Cinnamom - 1/2 inch piece
• Cardomom - 1
• Bayleaf - 1
• Ghee - 5 tsp
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Onion - 1 chopped finely
• Tomato - 1 cubed
• Ginger Garlic paste - 1.5 tbsp
• Green Chillies - 1
• Curd - 2 tsp
• Bread - 2 slices

Vegetables:

• Carrots - 2 medium sized chopped finely
• Beans - 6 chopped finely
• You can use a handful of peas also.

To grind to a paste:

• Mint leaves - a handful
• Coriander leaves - a handful
• Green chillies - 2

Grind the above together with little water to a fine paste.

Note : The rice : water ratio is 2:4 so coconut milk plus water comes to 4 cups

Method:

1. Soak basmati rice for 10mins, drain water and keep aside. Toast bread with little ghee in a dosa pan till crispy, cut into pieces and keep aside.



2. Heat oil and 3 tsp of ghee in a pressure cooker, add cinnamom, cloves, cardomom and bayleaf one by one and saute for a min then add onion and ginger garlic paste saute till raw smell leaves.



3. Now add tomato and saute for 2mins till its mushy. Then add green chillies and saute. Now add the grinded puthina paste and curd and saute 3mins or till its nicely blened and raw smell leaves.



4. Then add the vegetables, mix well and saute for 2mins. Now add the rice and mix well with the veggies for a minute.Add coconut milk, 2 and 3/4cups of water and pressure cook for 1whistle. Then simmer it for 7 mins and switch off.



5. After pressure releases open,mix well. Add remaining ghee, bread pieces and mix once again taking care not to make the rice mushy. Now Serve hot with onion raita!

The main secret behind her biriyani is she never makes biriyani without mint, coriander leaves and coconut milk which gives a unique flavour for a tastier biriyani. The bread pieces added gives a unique taste.