Restaurant Style Vegetable Biryani
Ingredients
- 1 cup Basmati Rice, soaked in 3 cups Water for 30 mins.
- 6 Whole Green Cardamom
- 4 Cloves
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1.5 tbsp +1 tsp Ghee
- 2 sliced Onions
- 2 tbsp broken Cashews
- 1 diced Potato
- ½ cup Cauliflower Florets
- 1 diagonally cut Carrot
- 5-6 diagonally cut Green Beans
- 2 tbsp Milk
- Everest Saffron Strands
- 1 inch crushed Ginger
- 4-5 crushed Garlic
- 2 crushed Green Chilies
- 1.5 tbsp Oil
- 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 inch Cinnamon Stick
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 3 Whole Black Peppercorns
- 1/3 cup Plain Yogurt Whisked
- 1.5 tsp Everest Shahi Biryani Masala
- 1/2 tsp Everest Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
- 1/4 cup Water
- 2 tbsp chopped Cilantro
- 2 tbsp chopped Mint
- 1.5 tsp Rose Water
Instructions
Cook the rice
- Soak the rice in water for 30 mins. After the rice has soaked, drain the water using a colander.
- Heat a pot full of water, add 3 green cardamoms, 2 cloves and 3/4 tsp salt to it. Let it come to a boil.
- Add rice, stir with a spoon.
- Let it cook uncovered (don’t lower the heat) until it’s almost cooked (around 70-75% cooked but not fully cooked). This takes around 6 to 7 mins.
- Remove pan from heat and drain rice in a colander. You may add a teaspoon of ghee to the rice. Set aside.
Caramelize onion & cashews and pan-fry the veggies
- Heat 1.5 tbsp ghee in a pan on medium heat. Once hot, add onion to it and cook until they turn golden brown. Once done, remove it on a plate.
- To the same pan, now add cashews and cook until golden brown, around 1 to 2 mins. Remove on the plate and set aside.
- Now add potato to the pan and cook until light brown. Remove on a plate.
- To the same pan, add cauliflower, beans and carrots. Sauté until veggies appear light brown. Remove on a plate.
Make the saffron-milk and cook the vegetables
- Heat 2 tbsp milk in a pan. Once warm, add Everest Saffron Strands (crush it before adding).
- Let it sit for 10 mins. Saffron milk is ready, set it aside.
- Crush ginger, garlic and chili using a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
- Heat 1.5 tbsp oil in a pan/pot on medium heat. Add cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, peppercorns, remaining 3 cardamom and remaining 2 cloves.
- Stir and let the spices sizzle for few seconds. Add the sliced onions and salt.
- Cook for 3 to 4 mins until onions turn light brown. Then add the crushed ginger-garlic and green chilies paste.
- Remove pan from heat and whisk in the yogurt, whisking continuously until it’s all absorbed.
- Put the pan back on heat. Add all the veggies and toss to combine.
- Add Everest Biryani Shahi Masala and Everest Kasmirilal Powder.
- Add 1/4 cup water. Let it cook for around 6 to 7 mins until veggies are almost cooked but not overcooked. They should be firm to bite.
- Remove from heat.
Layer the biryani
- Now take a heavy bottom pan. Grease the bottom of the pan with ghee.
- Then add a layer of rice (half of the rice). Top with half of fried onion, half of fried cashews and half of cilantro and mint. Add rose water. Now place the veggies on top (all of it).
- Then add another rice layer (remaining rice) on top of the veggies. Then top it with remaining with fried onion, cashews, cilantro and mint.
- Add the prepared saffron milk and the remaining rose water on top.
- And finally drizzle some ghee on top. Sprinkle some Everest Shahi Biryani Masala.
- I did 2 layers of rice and 1 layer of veggies. If your pan in small you may do more layers, but the end layer should always be of rice.
- Cover the pan tightly with aluminium foil. Then cover with a fitted lid.
- Heat a flat pan on medium heat. Once hot, reduce the flame to lowest. Place your biryani pot on top of the pan and let it cook for 25 to 30 mins on lowest heat (dum).
- Scoop out the biryani from the bottom of the pan so that each serving has both the veggies and the rice.
- Serve vegetable biryani with a side of raita.
