Biryani is believed to be a north-Indian dish, but if you taste the south-Indian biryanis, they taste so much better than any other biryani found anywhere else.
In my opinion North-Indian biryanis are known to be very rich in flavour with a lot of ghee and saffron-milk used to enchance the taste, but comparatively, the south-Indian biryanis have so much more essence. The amazing blend of coconut, roasted spices and the vegetables comes to life in this recipe. As this recipe emphasizes more on the spices mix and the coconut flavour, it doesn't make the biryani as heavy or rich as a regular north-Indian or Hyderabadi dum-biryani. It is a slightly time taking recipe, but absolutely worth all the efforts.
While watching Khana Khajana, one of the episodes featured this recipe and I had to try it out.
Absolutely loved it! I am not a big rice fan, but I am sure I ended up eating about a month's rice quota that day.
A must try!
Bon Appétit
In my opinion North-Indian biryanis are known to be very rich in flavour with a lot of ghee and saffron-milk used to enchance the taste, but comparatively, the south-Indian biryanis have so much more essence. The amazing blend of coconut, roasted spices and the vegetables comes to life in this recipe. As this recipe emphasizes more on the spices mix and the coconut flavour, it doesn't make the biryani as heavy or rich as a regular north-Indian or Hyderabadi dum-biryani. It is a slightly time taking recipe, but absolutely worth all the efforts.
While watching Khana Khajana, one of the episodes featured this recipe and I had to try it out.
Absolutely loved it! I am not a big rice fan, but I am sure I ended up eating about a month's rice quota that day.
A must try!
Bon Appétit
PREP TIME TOTAL TIME SERVINGS | 25 - 30 Minutes 1 Hour Approximately 2 Portions (Biryani Lovers) |
INGREDIENTS Onions Potato Carrot Cauliflower French beans Green peas Tomato Green Capsicum Basmati Rice Lemon Juice Oil Green cardamom Cinnamon Turmeric powder Curry leaves Salt Eggs Mint Leaves Water Paneer Corn Kernels Masala Paste Poppy seeds / Sesame Seeds Coriander seeds Cumin seeds Fennel seeds (saunf) Dried red chillies OR Red Chilli Flakes Scraped coconut / Desiccated Coconut Garlic Ginger piece | QUANTITY 2, medium, chopped 2, medium, cubed 1, medium, cubed 500 gms, flowerettes 250gms, cut into 1 cm each 1/4 cup 1, medium, cubed 1, medium, cubed 1.5 cup, soaked 1 tbsp 5 tbsp 3 - 4 1.5 '' 1.5 tsp 10 - 15 to taste 2, boiled for garnish 3 - 3.5 cups 100 gms, cubed (optional) 100 gms (optional) 1 tbsp 2 tbsp 1 tsp 2 tbsp 4 2.5 tbsp 1/4 cup 10 - 15 cloves, small 1.5'' piece |
RECIPE
Put the eggs for boiling.
Peel and chop the onions.
Wash and cut the potatoes, carrots, capsicum and tomatoes into cubes.
Wash and cut the cauliflower into florets.
Shell and wash the peas.
String and cut the French beans.
Wash and soak the rice in water till the other preparations are done.
To prepare the dry masala, heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and add poppy/sesame seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, chillies/chilli flakes and sauté for 2-3 minutes on slow flame.
Add the coconut to the pan and sauté till the coconut is slightly brown.
Allow the mixture to cool. Grind to a fine paste with the chopped garlic and ginger using as much water as needed.
Heat the remaining 3 tbsp oil in a casserole, add the cardamom and cinnamon, and allow them to cook for 1 minute. Add the curry leaves and cook for a minute.
Add the chopped onions and sauté till they are translucent. Add the turmeric powder and cook for a few seconds.
Add the masala paste and cook for 3 - 4 minutes. Add the cauliflower and potatoes and stir well. Add some water to the casserole, cover and cook for 3-4 minutes, till the cauliflower and the potatoes are half cooked.
Add all the remaining vegetables and water and stir well.
Add the washed rice to the casserole.
Pour the juice of a medium lemon.
Adjust the salt to taste.
Cook this whole mixture in a pressure cooker (2-3 whistles) or in a microwave or in an electric cooker.
Garnish with quartered eggs.
P.S. Tastes best with any Raita and salad.
MY NOTES
To make a fine paste of the masala, dry grind the masala first to a fine powder and then add the water to make it into a fine paste.
For this recipe, Desiccated / Dry coconut tastes better than fresh coconut.