Ingredients

For making Rice you will need:
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 clove
• 2 black peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small piece cinnamon
• Salt to taste
For making Vegetables Gravy you will need:
• 1 cup cabbage, shredded (optional)
• 1/2 cup beans, chopped
• 1/2 cup cauliflower, chopped
• 1/2 cup green peas (fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 cup carrot (peeled and chopped)
• 1/2 capsicum, sliced
• 1 big onion, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1 inch ginger
• 2 green chilies
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds/shah jeera
• 2 green cardamom
• 2 cloves (laung)
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 1 mace
• 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon Biryani masala (available in market)
• 1 cup whisked yogurt (curd /dahi)
• 1/10 tsp red-orange food color
• 1/2 tablespoon ghee
• 2 tsp cooking oil
• Salt to taste
For garnishing of Biryani you will require:
• Few saffron strands soaked in half cup of warm milk
• Few mint leaves, chopped
• Few coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp brown onions
• Few cashew nuts, blanched (optional)

Instructions

1. Rinse the rice in running water and soak them for about 30 minutes. Cook the rice in water by adding salt, clove, peppercorns, bay leaf and cinnamon.Cook on a medium high flame, till the rice are 3/4th done.

2. Drain the rice, take out the whole garam masala and fluff the rice with fork.

3. Chop one onion in thin slices.

4. Also put chopped and shredded vegetables in water to keep them fresh.

5. Heat oil in a pan and stir fry the sliced onion.

6. When the onion is nicely browned. Keep it aside to cool down.

7. Now put the tomatoes, ginger, garlic and green chilies in a blender. Keep about 1 tbsp of brown onions aside, as it will be used later for garnishing biryani and mix the remaining fried onion with tomatoes in blender. Blend for a few seconds to get a nice color of gravy.

8. Now melt ghee in a pan and throw in bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, mace, cardamoms and caraway seeds. Fry this whole garam masala till it starts crackling.

9. Now add prepared puree and cook it for 2-3 minutes on a low flame.

10. Mix in cabbage, cauliflower, carrot, beans, green peas and capsicum in it. Also add 1/2 tsp red chili powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp biryani masala and salt to taste.

11. Give the mixture a quick stir on a medium flame.

12. Now add yogurt/curd in it. After 2 minutes of cooking, add 1/2 cup of water along with food color. Cover the pan and leave to cook for about 5-6 minutes till the vegetables are half cooked. When the vegetables are half cooked, take out half of cooked vegetables from the pan and keep aside, it will be used for making layers.

13. Now spread some rice over the veggies and garnish with some brown onion, soaked saffron mixture, 1/4 tsp biryani masala, mint leaves and coriander leaves. Now make one more layer of vegetables and rice and finally spread remaining garnishing ingredients, that is brown onions, remaining biryani masala, mint leaves, saffron mixture, coriander leaves and blanched cashew nuts.
14. Cover the pan with a lid and leave to cook for 4-5 more minutes on low flame and your biryani is ready to serve.

Notes