Vegetable Biryani

[Anu]

Anyone have any favorite recipes for Vegetable Biryani? I'm cooking for a large group and wanted some new variations, other then my usual recipe...

[Simon Majumdar]

Anu

may I suggest that you pop this on the India board as well and I am sure Suvir will come back with about 20 recipes....

That being said, I like Hydrebaddi way of cooking these which is to seal the pot with a flour and water paste or a dough strip while you cook it to make sure that all the flavours are absorbed by the rice.

For the best results, I like to use root vegetables and squashes that hold up to the cooking process better than others.

I only use a great Basmati rice and, being a good bengali boy, very few spices ( turmeric, ginger, cumin ) I also use a great deal of garlic.

Cook it on a low heat for a few hours and before serving I add a tarka of ghee, friend onions, bulb chillies and slivers of yet more garlic.

It is delicious.

S

[Suvir Saran]

Anu

may I suggest that you pop this on the India board as well and I am sure Suvir will come back with about 20 recipes....

That being said, I like Hydrebaddi way of cooking these which is to seal the pot with a flour and water paste or a dough strip while you cook it to make sure that all the flavours are absorbed by the rice.

For the best results, I like to use root vegetables and squashes that hold up to the cooking process better than others.

I only use a great Basmati rice and, being a good bengali boy, very few spices ( turmeric, ginger, cumin ) I also use a great deal of garlic.

Cook it on a low heat for a few hours and before serving I add a tarka of ghee, friend onions, bulb chillies and slivers of yet more garlic.

It is delicious.

S

Simon,

After your recipe, all others will pale. Thanks for the great recipe.

I have never made Parda Pulao (biryaani covered with dough) using vegetables... Dunno why.... I make Lagan kee Biryaani the way you describe it.

PS: Lagan being a bronze container that is a very large and shallow round. I cover that with a huge chapati and then bake in the oven over a very long time under a low temperature. It works very well. But I have to have 40 plus people to feed that night, for the lagan is huge.

[Suvir Saran]

Anu,

What vegetables do you want to use?

How do you make your vegetable biryaani usually?

All of that will help the rest of us share recipes... so as to not give you ideas you already know of...

[Suvir Saran]

Anu,

A few more questions...

Would you be serving this as the main dish for the veggies? Do you plan to make curries? Sookhi Sabzis? Dals?

Since the choice of vegetables or how many to use would be detemined by the other stuff you want to make....

Note: Curry here means meat/fish/veg cooked in a sauce with savory spices

Sookhi Sabzi - stir fried vegtables with little if any sauce

Dals - lentils or beans cooked Indian style

[Suvir Saran]

Anu,

Is this for a Diwali meal?

[Suvir Saran]

SWEET PEPPER BIRIYANI WITH BLACK MUSTARD SEEDS AND FENNEL

Serves 6 to 8

I came up with this recipe one night when I had a houseful of vegetarian friends who love to eat. Although Indian cuisine is known for it’s vegetarian food, before that night, I didn’t have a recipe for a really delicious vegetable biriyani. Vegetable biryani that was not just based on the recipe for a meat one. I had just made a batch of tomato chutney that day so I used some to flavor the bell pepper mixture. You can either use the chutney recipe in this book on page 000 or buy a commercial tomato chutney.

SPICE POWDER

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 whole, dried red chili

2 cups basmati rice

1/4 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

3 whole, dried red chilies

1 large onion, cut into 1-inch dice

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

2 garlic cloves, minced

5 bell peppers of various colors (i.e., 2 red, 1 green, 1 yellow and 1 orange) stemmed, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 tomato, chopped

2 tablespoons Tomato Chutney (page 000)

3/4 cup chopped, fresh cilantro

1/2 cup water

1. Bring 10 cups water to a boil over high heat in a large saucepan. Add the rice and stir gently so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Return to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer vigorously, partially covered, 6 minutes. Drain, return the rice to the pan and set aside until ready to use.

2. For the spice powder, combine all of the spices in a spice grinder and grind to a powder. Set aside.

3. Combine the oil, cumin and chilies in a large frying pan, wok or kadai over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until the cumin seeds darken slightly, 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Add the onion and salt and cook, stirring, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

5. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds.

6. Add the spice powder and cook, stirring, 30 seconds.

7. Add the peppers and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to pick up any spices that stick, about 1 minute.

8. Add 1/4 cup water and continue cooking, stirring, until the peppers are softened and beginning to stick to the sides of the pan, 6 to 7 minutes.

9. Add the fresh tomato and tomato chutney and stir to blend. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pan well to pick up any spices that stick. Then cook, stirring, 5 more minutes. Taste for salt.

10. Preheat the oven to 350?.

11. Spread about 2 cups of cooked rice over the bottom of a large, oven-proof casserole, preferably one with a lid. Spoon about half of the pepper mixture over the rice and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the cilantro. Cover that with about 1 1/2 cups more rice, spreading the rice evenly. Layer the remaining pepper mixture over the rice and sprinkle with another 1/4 cup cilantro. Spread the remaining rice over the top. Drizzle the water in a thin stream around the edges of the casserole and then over the rice. Cover the dish tightly with foil and then with the lid, if there is one. Bake 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes at room temperature. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cilantro and serve hot.

[Suvir Saran]

SWEET PEPPER BIRIYANI WITH BLACK MUSTARD SEEDS AND FENNEL

Serves 6 to 8

I came up with this recipe one night when I had a houseful of vegetarian friends who love to eat. Although Indian cuisine is known for it’s vegetarian food, before that night, I didn’t have a recipe for a really delicious vegetable biriyani. Vegetable biryani that was not just based on the recipe for a meat one. I had just made a batch of tomato chutney that day so I used some to flavor the bell pepper mixture. You can either use the chutney recipe in this book on page 000 or buy a commercial tomato chutney.

SPICE POWDER

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 whole, dried red chili

2 cups basmati rice

1/4 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

3 whole, dried red chilies

1 large onion, cut into 1-inch dice

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

2 garlic cloves, minced

5 bell peppers of various colors (i.e., 2 red, 1 green, 1 yellow and 1 orange) stemmed, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 tomato, chopped

2 tablespoons Tomato Chutney (page 000)

3/4 cup chopped, fresh cilantro

1/2 cup water

1. Bring 10 cups water to a boil over high heat in a large saucepan. Add the rice and stir gently so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Return to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer vigorously, partially covered, 6 minutes. Drain, return the rice to the pan and set aside until ready to use.

2. For the spice powder, combine all of the spices in a spice grinder and grind to a powder. Set aside.

3. Combine the oil, cumin and chilies in a large frying pan, wok or kadai over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until the cumin seeds darken slightly, 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Add the onion and salt and cook, stirring, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

5. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds.

6. Add the spice powder and cook, stirring, 30 seconds.

7. Add the peppers and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to pick up any spices that stick, about 1 minute.

8. Add 1/4 cup water and continue cooking, stirring, until the peppers are softened and beginning to stick to the sides of the pan, 6 to 7 minutes.

9. Add the fresh tomato and tomato chutney and stir to blend. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pan well to pick up any spices that stick. Then cook, stirring, 5 more minutes. Taste for salt.

10. Preheat the oven to 350?.

11. Spread about 2 cups of cooked rice over the bottom of a large, oven-proof casserole, preferably one with a lid. Spoon about half of the pepper mixture over the rice and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the cilantro. Cover that with about 1 1/2 cups more rice, spreading the rice evenly. Layer the remaining pepper mixture over the rice and sprinkle with another 1/4 cup cilantro. Spread the remaining rice over the top. Drizzle the water in a thin stream around the edges of the casserole and then over the rice. Cover the dish tightly with foil and then with the lid, if there is one. Bake 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes at room temperature. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cilantro and serve hot.

[Suvir Saran]

Thread on rice that may be of interest to you...

[Suvir Saran]

Tomato Chutney

[Suvir Saran]

Another rice thread with recipes

[Anu]

All of these recipes sound great...I am having a potluck with about 8/10 people and there will be chole and corn curry as well as naan raita etc...biryani will probably be the main dish...i have never made it by myself and am looking at several reicpes...I would like to try the Hydrabadi style of sealing teh container but it sounds a little intimidating...Suvir, I liked your idea but I wanted to add some root vegetables as they are in season...Yes, it is acutally for a Choti Diwali celebration I am having..

[Suvir Saran]

All of these recipes sound great...I am having a potluck with about 8/10 people and there will be chole and corn curry as well as naan raita etc...biryani will probably be the main dish...i have never made it by myself and am looking at several reicpes...I would like to try the Hydrabadi style of sealing teh container but it sounds a little intimidating...Suvir, I liked your idea but I wanted to add some root vegetables as they are in season...Yes, it is acutally for a Choti Diwali celebration I am having..

How lovely your party sounds.

I wish yours and you every happiness on Diwali and the year ahead.

I would be happy to PM you a recipe for a radish biryaani I make. Change it so that you can use whatever other root veggies you have ... It is a great recipe... It is one of the recipes in the book...

Again, have fun.... Will you play taash?

PS: Taash is the hindi word for a card game we play during Diwali (festival of lights) and often also for Holi (festival of colors). Someone else could certainly describe it better...