Coconut & Coconut Milk Based Biryanis:
You folks, now know, how much I love adding coconut and coconut milk in my biryanis. I have mentioned that in the onion biryani as well. I have already posted kuska biryani or empty biryani with coconut milk and veg brinji with coconut milk. Now I am going to add this Thalassery veg biryani or the Kerala biryani to that list too. I had a lot of biryani options for alphabet – T like tawa pulao, Tehri but the moment I read about this biryani, I decided to make it. Of course, the coconut milk and coconut oil lured me. I took my base recipe from the indian healthy recipes website, of like the other biryanis, made this biryani in the pressure cooker without any layering or DUM process. Also, adjusted the spices according to our preference. Like Rawther veg biryani, the traditional Kerala biryani uses jeerakasala or kaima rice, but I went with the Seeraga Samba rice. I mentioned the reason in the Rawther biryani recipe, and I don’t want to repeat it here again. :-) The seeraga samba rice adds its magic to this biryani, but still, I would like to try this with the kaima rice. I found one more Kerala rice recipe, but I want to make it with the kaima rice. So I have saved it for later. I love exploring new ingredients, cuisines and of course recipes. :-) Now without any further delay, let me share how I made this delicious Thalassery veg biryani recipe in the stove-top pressure cooker. Ingredients:
To grind Ten mint leaves ¼ cup cilantro Two green chilies ½ tsp red chili powder ½ tsp pepper powder ¼ tsp turmeric powder ½ tsp poppy seeds 1 tsp garam masala ½ tsp fennel seeds 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste 2 tbsp water Other Ingredients 1 tbsp coconut oil melted 1 tbsp ghee melted Two cardamom Four Cloves Two-inch cinnamon sticks, broken into small pieces One bay leaf One onion, roughly chopped One tomato, roughly chopped 1 cup vegetables – carrots + beans + 5 cauliflower florets (All veggies roughly chopped) 1.5 tsp salt ¾ cup coconut milk, thin or the diluted milk. I used a store-bought one. ½ cup water 1 cup seeraga samba rice soaked for 25 mts and drained
Prep-Work:
Wash and soak the seeraga samba rice for 20 to 25 minutes. Twenty minutes is sufficient, but I soaked it for a little longer. Chop all the vegetables including tomato, onion and set it aside. If preparing fresh coconut milk, make it and set aside ¾ cups of thin/second/diluted coconut milk. I used a store-bought one. Make sure you shake the can well before using and set aside ¾ cups of coconut milk. If the store-bought coconut milk is thick, dilute it with water as required. Grind all the ingredients given under “To Grind” by adding 2 tbsps of water.
Steps:
Heat the pressure cooker or the pressure pan and add the ghee and coconut oil. When the oil is hot, add the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon sticks, and the bay leaf and fry for 20 seconds.
Then add the chopped onion and cook until the onion is soft and translucent for about 4 to 5 minutes.
Next, add the chopped tomatoes and the ground paste. Mix and cook until the raw smell goes off or until the moisture is all absorbed.
Now add the vegetables and salt. Mix well and scrape the bottom thoroughly.
Add the rice, coconut milk, and water. Gently mix.
Close the pressure cooker lid and put the weight on.
Over medium heat cook for one whistle and after one whistle, reduce the heat to low(on a number scale it is 1) and cook for just 3 minutes. It acts as a DUM, but it is not mandatory. As we are adding coconut milk, do not cook for a longer time. Then turn off the heat. Allow the pressure to release naturally. After opening the pressure cooker lid, allow the rice to cool for 5 minutes and the fluff it gently.
Serve it hot with raita.
Recipe Notes-
You can use basmati rice also and in that case cook for just one whistle. Adjust the salt and spices according to your preference. Skip the ghee and add one more tbsp of coconut oil for a vegan biryani.
📖 Recipe
