Vegetable Dum Biryani

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients

For vegetable gravy

• 500 gms mixed vegetable cut into medium chunks

  • carrots

  • beans

  • potatoes

  • caufliflower

  • green peas

• 100 gms paneer cubes sauteed

• salt to taste

• 1 tbsp turmeric powder

• 1 tbsp kashmiri red chilli powder

• 2 tbsp biryani masala

• 1 tbsp coriander powder

• 1 cup thick curd

• 1/2 cup finely chopped coriander leaves

• 1/2 cup finely chopped mint leaves

• 1 cup fried onions

• 3 tbsp ghee

• 2 tbsp oil

• 2 bay leaves

For Rice

• 500 gms long grain basmati rice soaked in water for half hour

• 1" cinnamon

• 5 cardamom

• 3 cloves

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 star anise

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

• 1 tbsp ghee

• salt

For layering

• 1 cup finely chopped coriander leaves

• 1 cup finely chopped mint leaves

• 1 cup fried onions

• 6 saffron strands soaked in 1/2 cup warm milk

• 2 tbsp ghee

Instructions

For gravy :

1. In a large wide bowl, add all the veggies and sauteed paneer

2. Whisk the curd well, add all the spices and mix well

3. Toss this into the veggies, mix well till the veggies are coated with the curd mixture and keep aside closed for an hour

4. In a wide non stick pan (the pan in which biryani will be served), add oil and ghee and sautee bay leaves for 20 seconds

5. Add the marinated vegetables and cook till 3/4 done (keep stirring so that it doesnt stick to the bottom)

6. Adjust salt and other spices (the mixture should be spicy and tangy as it will be mixed with rice)

7. Spread the veggies well and keep aside

For the rice

1. In a vessel, pour in water, add, ghee and the whole spices and bring to a boil

2. Remove the spices with a sieve and discard it

3. Add the soaked drained rice and cook till 3/4 done, drain the rice and keep aside

To assemble

1. Spread the rice on top of the vegetables

2. Next drizzle 2 tbsp ghee on top of the rice

3. Next goes the saffron milk, again drizzle it through out the rice

4. Then goes the chopped mint and coriander leaves

5. Lastly spread the fried onions

6. Cover this with an alluminium foil and then put the lid of the pan tightly over it

7. Place this on top of a flat pan and cook on dum in slow fire for almost 45 mins to an hour

8. Serve hot with raita of your choice

Notes :

• The vegetables and rice should only be 3/4 cooked as they will turn mushy when you cook on dum

• The gravy should be extra salty and spicy so that it mixes well plain rice