Vegetable Biryani
I made biryani a couple of times to master the technique, but don’t let the seemingly involved instructions deter you. I’ve made it simple, and if you’re a fan of Indian food – biryani, in particular – you totally got this! This is a vegetable version which I feel works best when it prominently features cauliflower, but you can easily make steak or chicken biryani as well. This biryani rounds out my trifecta of main course rice dishes, to include my Mongolian Beef Fried Rice recipe and super flexible Chicken Rice Pilaf recipe (which has yet to make its way to the blogosphere… coming soon). Anyway, get out your spices and give this hearty, spicy, beauty a try. If you’re really feeling committed to a full Indian/Pakistan spread, pair this alongside my classic Chicken Korma Curry (30 minute curry video version found here).
what you need
1 cup long-grain basmati or jasmine rice, pre-soaked for 1 hour or more
3 medium carrots, diced
3/4 cup frozen peas
1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets and, if desired, marinated in olive oil, cayenne pepper, and turmeric
1 whole Spanish or yellow onion cut into strips
1 knob fresh ginger root (can use ginger powder)
(optional) 1/2 knob fresh turmeric root
2 cloves of fresh garlic
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt + more for serving
1/2 cup fresh cilantro and/or fresh mint, chopped
3/4-1 cup halved cashews or cashew pieces
3-4 tablespoons ghee (or butter)
1/8 cup whole milk, warmed slightly
1 pinch dried saffron strands, crushed
Spices: 1 cinnamon stick or cinnamon powder, cloves, 1 bay leaf, black pepper, salt, red chili flakes to taste (for spiciness), coriander, cumin, cardamom, mace or nutmeg, turmeric.
how to make it
You are going to need one large, preferably non-stick sauté pot with a lid and some tinfoil for this recipe.
Prep steps: Crush saffron strands and deposit in warmed milk. Set aside until the milk turns a beautiful yellow color, like dying Easter eggs! And soak the rice.
Boil rice: Set a small pot to boil on the stove flavored with cloves and cardamom. Once boiling, add strained rice and cook until al dente, ~7-8 minutes. Remove from heat, strain rice, mix with 1 tablespoon ghee, and set aside.
Meanwhile, sauté vegetables: Add 1 tablespoon ghee to pan and caramelize the onions, sautéing on low for ~20-25 minutes. Remove from pan. Add a tad more ghee and throw in those cashews, stirring constantly so they only brown but do not burn. Remove from pan. Now throw in the cauliflower, carrots, and peas with a bit more ghee and sauté ~6-8 minutes until they begin to soften. Remove from pan. Now all your veggies are pre-cooked.
Make the biryani: Place a bit of ghee in the bottom of the pan (no need to wash it out) on low heat. Add the cinnamon stick and all the spices, stirring to keep from burning. As the spices sizzle, grate the garlic cloves, the ginger knob, and the turmeric root (no need to peel) over the mixture with a hand grater like this one. Stir well and, before anything starts to burn but after the spices have opened up, add 1/2 cup of water, scraping any bits up off the bottom of the pan. Add the vegetables back in along with the bay leaf, stirring the entire mixture and salting generously. Cook uncovered on medium heat for ~8 minutes.
The cashews, mint, and saffron milk should still be resting…
Layer the biryani: Remove mixture from heat and whisk in the yogurt, whisking constantly to avoid curdling. Then remove half the mixture from the pan and set aside, spreading the remaining mixture in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle some cilantro/mint and cashews on top before adding about half the rice and pressing down firmly. Add the rest of the vegetables, another layer of cilantro/mint and cashews, and the remaining rice. Your final layer on top should be rice. Press the mixture down firmly and drizzle with saffron milk.
“Dum”: Affix the pan tightly with tinfoil covering the top and place the lid down tightly on the tinfoil. Cook stovetop on lowest possible heat setting for ~25 minutes.
Serve!: Remove lid and tinfoil, and stir biryani generously, spooning portions into bowls. You did it! See? Not so hard. Homemade vegetable biryani.
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