Fall is finally here, you can feel the nip in the early morning air and for me it’s the beginning of food season to follow ….. It also reminds me of the childhood years in India, as this time of the year we had a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables flooded in the market (summer’s being the worst for produce) and we used to look forward to weekend meals/get-together as they were perfect for warm and delicious meals with family n friends. My recent visit to the local produce store and seeing such an abundance of fresh veggies, made me extremely nostalgic about those fun childhood days, playing with friends over the weekend and sharing vegetarian biryani made by my mother. Extremely delicious and many years later mom told me – it was a perfect way to feed all of us kids vegetables – Mothers what all they do to make us eat the greens_XoXo  🙂 So here I’m many years later, trying to re-create the same recipe and Guess What – The tables are turned and she’s the one doing tasting this time !!! This is going to be the weekend recipe I wanted to share with you all. You can substitute vegetables as per your choice and play around with spices and other ingredients. I’ve added ghee/clarified butter on the top layer as it intensifies and gives it a delicious taste and aromatic flavor. Also adding pomegranate seeds adds to its flavor and looks great too.

~ Make, Share n Enjoy ~

Quick Vegetable Biryani

Serves: 4 People Serving Suggestion: Serve Hot along with yogurt / gravy or can be eaten as is. Storage: Can be stored in fridge in an air-tight container for upto 2days. Large Non-Stick Pan – To sautee the vegetables Large Pot / Pressure Cooker / Rice Cooker – To cook rice 1 Large Serving Dish – To layer the biryani and serve

 

Ingredients:

2 Cups Uncooked Rice – Rinsed  1/4 Cup Plain Yogurt – (If Vegan, use homemade or store-bought vegan yogurt) 5 Cups Water – To cook rice 1 Small Piece Ginger – Thinly Grated 3 Large Onions – Thinly Sliced 3 Large Boiled Potato – Cut into bite-size pieces 1 Small Cauliflower – Cut into bite-size pieces 2-3 Green Chilies – Thinly Chopped 1/4 Cup Olive Oil –  For Cooking Onions – You may use any flavorless oil of choice 3 Tbsp Olive Oil –  For Cooking Vegetables- You may use any flavorless oil of choice 2 Tbsp Ghee / Clarified Butter – For Drizzling on Biryani – OPTIONAL 1/2 Cup Fresh Pomegranate Seeds- For Taste & Decoration 1 Cup Mixed Dry Fruits – Sauteed or dry roasted – OPTIONAL

Whole Spices:

1 Bay Leaf 1/4 Tsp Crushed Cinnamon Stick (Dalchini) 1/4 Tsp Whole Black Pepper – OPTIONAL 2 Black Cardamom (Badi Elaichi) – Crushed 4 Green Cardamom (Choti Elaichi) – Crushed along with shell 4 Cloves (Laung)

 

Powdered Spices:

2 Tsp Coriander Powder 1/2 Tsp Cumin Powder 1 Tsp Indian All Spice Powder (Garam Masala) 2 Tsp Red Chili Powder – Optional 2 Tsp Salt (As per your taste)

 

Method:

NOTE:  This is a very simple and easy recipe and I’ve divided it into Four parts for further convenience.

Part 1: Cooking the rice.

Part 2: Frying the Onions Part 3: Making the vegetables Part 4: Assembling everything together 

 

Part 1: Cooking the Rice:

In a large pot, add rice, water and put on medium heat. Stir after 10mins and after the first boil, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer till rice is cooked. (Takes about 20min – If using rice cooker OR pressure cooker, please cook as per instructed timings on manual) Once the rice is cooked (it should be slight hard to touch), switch off the heat, sieve the hot water and keep the rice aside.  

Part 2: Frying the Onions

Part 3: Making the vegetables

Part 4: Assembling Everything Together 

Before serving: Heat in microwave for 10mins or in the oven. Serve Hot

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