Hyderabadi Veg Biryani

A flavorful assortment of Basmati rice and vegetables cooked with whole spices.

Time: 1.5 hours
Serves: 4-5


Ingredients:
Basmati rice: 1.5 cups
Ghee/clarified butter: 1 tbsp or more
2 big onions ,sliced
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
2 tbsp chopped mint leaves
2-3 green chilies divided lengthwise
3-4 strands of saffron
2 tbsp warm milk
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp raisins
5-6  broken cashewnuts
7-8 blanched and halved almonds
1-2 bay leaves
Salt to taste
Marinade:
1 cup yogurt 
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 potatoes,cubed
2 carrots,cubed
5-6 green beans,diced
1/4 cauliflower,diced
2+1 tbsp of biryani masala


Directions:

• In a pan,heat 1 tbsp oil to caramelise onions.(Onions should turn brown)
• Parboil all the vegetables listed under marinade.
• Beat yogurt,add ginger garlic paste,parboiled vegetables,half of the caramelised onions and 2 tbsp biryani masala and let it sit aside to marinate for 1 hour.
• Wash and soak rice for half and hour.Dissolve saffron in warm milk.
• Boil rice with sufficient amount of water,till 75% done.Do not cook rice thoroughly.Drain.
• In a thick bottomed pan/kadhai heat ghee and add the bay leaves along with marinated vegetables and saute for 3-4 minutes.Transfer half vegetables onto another dish.
• In kadhai,layer the cooked rice over vegetables,sprinkle some biryani masala,coriander leaves and mint leaves followed by another layer of vegetables and rice.
• Rice should be at the top.Sprinkle some more biryani masala, coriander leaves,mint leaves,and saffron milk.
• Garnish with cashews,almonds,raisins,green chilies and caramelised onions. 
• Place a moist cloth on top and cover with a lid.Seal the lid with dough.
• Cook it either in oven for 15-20 min at 180 C or place the kadhai over hot tava and let it cook on low flame for about 30 minutes.
• Serve hot with raita/curd.