Veg Biryani Recipe For Every Occasion
Your Search for the Perfect Veg Biryani Recipe Ends Here!
Biryani is bliss, and since you are here, you probably agree! Whether it is a celebration, a treat from a friend, or just a lunch or dinner, saying no to biryani is tough. There are many reasons for that! Biryani first draws your attention with that familiar, mouth-watering fragrance. Then, it treats your eyes with the white, orange, and yellowish grains of rice. And once the first bite of fragrant rice, perfectly cooked with spices and your favourite vegetables, reaches your mouth, your taste buds dance joyfully! It may sound like poetry, but a plate (or two) of biryani is worth every word of praise!
We have exciting news for veg biryani fans because it is recipe time!
Veg Biryani Recipe
If you want to make this delicacy of vegetable biryani at home, we have not one but two recipes for you! One of these two is made in the traditional way by putting on dum, and the other is a modern twist for the easiest and quickest recipe. Excited much?
Veg Biryani Ingredients
There are two different recipes for veg biryani, but the ingredients are the same. Note that you can serve four with the measurements we have here. You can increase or reduce the amount of each ingredient based on your requirements.
You will need the following ingredients for your veg biryani.
Aged basmati rice - 2 cups
Onion (thinly sliced) - 1 cup or a medium one
Green chilli (split) - 1 (skip or adjust per your taste)
Ginger and garlic paste - 1 ½ teaspoons
Tomato (chopped) - 1 small
Coriander leaves (chopped) - ¼ cup
Mint leaves (chopped) - ¼ cup
Turmeric - ¼ teaspoon
Kashmiri red chilli powder - ½ teaspoon (adjust or skip as you need)
Garam Masala/biryani masala - 1 teaspoon
Cashews - a handful
Raisins - a handful
Saffron - a few strands
Rose/kewra water - ½ tablespoon
Yoghurt (fresh) - 1 cup
Water/thin coconut milk - as needed in different stages of cooking
Ghee/oil - as required in different stages of cooking
Salt (for water and vegetables) - to taste
Add flavour to your veg biryani with the following whole spices.
Bay leaf - 2
Cinnamon - 2 small pieces
Green cardamom - 6
Cloves - 6
Star anise - 1 (optional)
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
The following vegetables will go well with your veg biryani.
Potatoes (boiled and cubed) - ½ cup
Beans (boiled and cut) - ⅓ cup
Green peas - ¾ cup
Carrot (chopped) - ¾ cup
While serving, you can garnish with:
Lemon juice
Thinly sliced and fried onions
Fried cashew nuts
Traditional Veg Dum Biryani Recipe
It involves preparing your rice and vegetable mixture and then putting them on dum in layers.
Step 1: Preparations for the Veg Dum Biryani
You have to start preparing all the ingredients for the veg biryani. Here’s how you can do that!
Prepare the Rice: Soak your basmati rice in water. 30 to 50 minutes will be enough; more soaking will make the rice too soft. Boil 7 to 8 cups of water. You can add flavour to your veg biryani from this stage by putting whole spices, like 1 bay leaf, 2 green cardamoms, 2 cloves, ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon of oil, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and salt to taste. Sieve the rice and boil in the water until 90% is cooked. Then, drain the rice in a strainer or colander.
Vegetables and Dry Ingredients: You can cut and wash the vegetables while you soak the rice. The potatoes will need to be boiled slightly. You can also rinse and chop the onions, mint, and coriander leaves at this stage. Make sure to slice the onion thinly. Soak the saffron in milk.
Fry the Dry Fruits and Onions: Put a little oil in the frying pan and slightly fry them. Then, put a little more oil and onions. Keep stirring and fry until golden brown. It will take 8 to 9 minutes.
Step 2: Making the Gravy
Now the cooking starts! Use a deep vessel if you plan to cook the gravy and put the biryani for dum in the same pot. You can use the same frying pan in which you caramelise the onions. Add all the whole spices, ginger, garlic paste, and tomato, and stir nicely. Put the vegetables into the pan and saute a bit more. Pour some water and let it cook until the water dries up. Add spice powders like turmeric, garam masala, chilli powder, and salt at this stage. Whisk some curd, add to the vegetable mix, and cook for a few minutes. Add some mint, coriander, and fried onion before turning the heat off.
Step 3: Make Layers and Put on Dum
Place a pan, tawa or griddle on heat. Taste the gravy and a few grains of rice to check and adjust the salt. Now, layer the rice on the same pan over the gravy. Sprinkle the saffron milk, rose water, some dry fruits, remaining caramelised onions, mint leaves, and coriander leaves. Seal the mouth of the pan with aluminium foil, put on a heavy lid and place it on the pan you were heating. Instead of aluminium, you can seal the pan’s mouth with a dough made of flour and water. Twenty minutes in low heat, and enjoy your veg biryani!
Quick and Easy Vegetable Biryani Recipe: No Dum Needed!
Want to enjoy a hot plate of veg biryani but don’t have much time? We have the perfect recipe for you!
→ Soak the basmati rice for 20 to 30 minutes. You can start cooking as the rice soaks.
→ You can use a pressure cooker or a regular pot. The taste will remain the same. Only the amount of water and time will be different.
→ Pour some oil into the pan. Stir the whole spices for a while. Now, saute the onions in the same pan for a few minutes, then add ginger and garlic paste. Once the spices are cooked a little, you can add the vegetables, spice powders, yoghurt, mint leaves, coriander leaves, and salt one by one. Keep stirring in between.
→ Add the soaked and drained rice and mix well.
→ Boil the water in a separate bowl with some salt. Adjust the salt if needed and pour it into your vegetable and rice mixture. You can add saffron and rose water at this stage.
→ If you use a pressure cooker, add 1 ¾ cups and 2 cups of water to cook in a pot.
→ One whistle in a cooker will be sufficient. If you make the veg biryani in a regular pot, keep it on heat until the rice is cooked and the water is absorbed.
→ Garnish with dry fruits, onions, and mints, and enjoy!
Conclusion
You can still have a hearty plate of veg biryani whether or not you have a lot of time in hand and whether or not you want to put in a lot of effort!
FAQs
1. Can I add soya chunks in veg biryani?
Yes, you can add soya chunks to your veg biryani. Also, feel free to use the vegetables you like.
2. Is the rose water essential for an authentic veg biryani taste?
Rose or kewra water is one of the key ingredients that create the fragrance and taste of the veg biryani. However, the veg biryani will taste good even if you skip it.
3. What to do if the veg biryani is not cooked properly?
If you are using the dum biryani method, keep the pot back on the dum for a few minutes. If you use the cooker or pot method, add more water and let it cook for a while.
