MY SIMPLE VEGETABLE BRIYANI

This you either call it as biriyani or as pulav, but this is my version of cooking biriyani and it has very good taste and texture.  Here I am not using tomato, coconut milk or curd or full ghee or butter, still it tastes good. You too can try this out.

Ingredients:

1. Basmati rice - 1 1/4 cup
2. Onion - 1 big size, thinly sliced
3. Carrot - 1 big size, chopped into medium size
4. Beans - 10, chopped into medium size
5. Potato - 1 big size, chopped into medium size
6. Green peas - 1/4 cup (soaked over night or frozen)
7. Soya chunks - 10 pieces, soaked in water for 1/2 hr and chopped into medium size
8. Mint leaves - 1 handful, finely chopped
9. Coriander leaves - 1 handful, finely chopped
10. Ghee - 1/2 tbs or as required
11. Oil - 2 tbs or as required
12. Salt - as required
13. Red chilli powder - 1 tsp or as required
14. Turmeric powder - just a pinch
15. Garam masala powder - 2 pinch

To grind:

1. Green chillies - 2
2. Ginger - 2 inch
3. Garlic - 4 cloves

Seasoning :

1. Cloves - 4 or 5
2. Cinamon stic - 2
3. Bay leaves - 2
4. Green cardomom - 2
5. Freshly fried bread pieces - 1/2 cup

Method:

1. Clean and wash the rice and drain all the water and keep it seperately in a bowl.

2. Grind ginger, garlic and green chillies and keep it seperately without adding water.

3. Heat oil and ghee in a pressure cooker (here i am using 3 lts pressure cooker) , once they got heated add cloves, cinamon sticks, bay leaves and cardomom. 

4. Once they got fried add chopped onions and fry for 2 minutes, add the grind paste and fry for 1 more minute. Add the chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves and fry for 2-3 minutes.  Make sure, the leaves are cleanly washed and drained out of water completely. otherwise the texture of the rice will get changed. If there is excess water, pat the leaves in a kitchen towel or tissue before adding to the cooking.

5. add chopped vegetables, green peas and chopped soya chunks.  Fry for 2 more minutes. Add salt, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and red chilli powder and stir without taking your hands to avoid sticking to the vessel.

6. Add 2 cups of water to the vessel and allow to boil. Once the water started to boil nicely, add the washed rice to the vessel and close the lid of the pressure cooker with weight. Allow 1 whistle and switch off the stove. Wait until the pressure is gone completely. Open the lid, transfer to a big size bowl, mix the rice carefully with a spatula.

7.Cut the bread pieces into smaller cubes and deep fry it in the oil. Transfer to a tisse paper to remove excess oil and mix it with the rice, before serving. 

8. Serve this hot biriyani with onion raita or any kind of raita you like.  It is a excellent dish both to have in parties and also on weekends with your family.

Note :
1. You can avoid soya chunks to add while cooking. The other option of adding the soya chunks is you can drain and squeeze all the water from the soya chunks and deep fry in the oil, and add it finally with fried bread pieces before you serve.