You can taste the history of a nation through its food and cuisine, as it is a collateral damage of invasions, wars, and migrations. Nothing illustrates this more than a biryani, which is said to have originated in Persia and was brought to India by Timur the Lame, while invading it in 1398. Since then, we have had over 600 years to customize and tweak this decadent rice dish. There are innumerable versions of biryani all over the world and the basics seem to be meat, vegetables, nuts, and spices—a nutritious and rich one pot meal!!

Even though a biryani takes up to a couple of hours to make, it is worth the effort because of the multilayered taste and textures. For me, biryani symbolizes celebrations and joyous events. I hope you enjoy the process as well as the final result.

Since making a vegetable biryani is a labor of love, I tend to make it on special occasions like birthdays or holidays. I ensure that I have 2 hours that I can dedicate to chopping, frying and cooking.

Step by Step

Part 1

1. Thinly slice 2 large onions.
2. Take a large pan in which you will make the biryani.
3. Add 2 Tbsp. of oil and let it heat (you can use ghee instead of oil).
4. Add the sliced onions : a tip to make delicious fried onions is not to stir them too often, let them caramelize to a dark brown color and then flip them.
5. In the meantime:
   • Chop vegetables into bite sized pieces
   • Use a combination of french beans, cauliflower, carrots, mushrooms
   • Thinly slice 2 medium sized potatoes (potatoes are a must for the biryani, try to have at least 2 other vegetables in addition to potatoes)
   • Grate 1″ fresh ginger or use 1 tsp of ginger paste
   • Crush 4-5 cloves of fresh garlic or use 1.5 tsp of garlic paste
   • Assemble 1/4 c each of sliced almonds, cashews and raisins

Part 2

1. Once the onions are fried, drain them & remove them on a plate lined with kitchen paper.
2. Add the nuts and raisins next to the same pan and fry till golden brown.
3. Drain and remove them on a plate.
4. Lastly, fry the potato slices till cooked, golden and crispy.
   • Sprinkle some salt on the potatoes while frying.
5. Assemble your whole spices or khada masala:
   • 2 bay leaves, 4-5 green cardamoms, 2 black cardamoms, 5-6 cloves, 2″ piece of cinnamon or 5-6 small pieces, 2 tsp cumin seeds
6. Drain the potatoes and add the whole spices to the oil (you can add 1 Tbsp of oil at this point if there is none left).
7. Allow the spices to sputter and bloom for 30 seconds.

Part 3

1. Add the chopped vegetables and fry them uncovered for a minute.
2. Add half the fried onions, potatoes and nuts.
3. Add 2 cups plain yogurt (home made or store bought).
4. Add chopped cilantro and mint (mint is a must have for biryanis, if you do not have fresh mint available, you can use dried mint).
5. Now add the masalas:
   • Salt to taste-remember to add a little extra to season the rice that will be added later
   • 1 tsp powder of each: turmeric, red chillies, coriander, cumin
   • 2 tsp garam masala or store bought biryani masala ( I use my homemade garam masala)
6. Give everything a good stir, keep the heat on low-medium, cover and allow to cook.
7. Wash and rinse 2 cups of your longest and best basmati rice.
8. Place in a pan and fill it with water.
9. Add 1 tsp salt.
10. Allow the rice to cook uncovered.
11. When the rice is 90% cooked, drain it in a colander.

Part 4

1. Check that the chopped veggies are cooked in the yogurt and spices.
2. Add the almost-cooked rice on top of the vegetables in a thick layer on top of the veggies.
3. Turn the flame to low.
4. Take a fat pinch of saffron:
   • Heat it in the microwave for 20 secs
   • Add some milk to it and let it stand for a minute
5. Spoon the saffron mix on top of the rice.
6. Add 2-3 tsps of ghee.
7. Cover and set a timer for 10 minutes.
8. Turn off the heat and add the remaining fried onions, potatoes and nuts on top of the biryani.

Prepare the raita:

1. Chop onions, tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers
2. Add yogurt, salt, red chili powder, roasted cumin powder & chaat masala
3. Mix just before serving

Serve hot with a side of raita

Some Tips

This vegetable biryani can be made ahead one day and refrigerated. To serve, warm it up in the microwave and dot with a dollop of ghee. The biryani tastes better the next day as the masalas infuse their flavor and aroma through the veggies and rice.

I use the longest grain basmati rice I can get my hands on; this time I used Elonga brand purchased from the local Indian store.

I prefer to buy organic vegetables whenever possible and available, including the nuts and raisins. This time I splurged on some golden raisins but they were not as juicy or tasty as the dark ones I buy from Sam’s Club.

I also try to use fresh ginger and garlic (although I resort to readymade pastes when in a hurry) as the flavor is more intense. This time I used frozen mint as we could not find a fresh bunch in the 2 stores nearby. This summer I had harvested the wild mint from our garden, washed and dried it on paper for a few days, then crushed the leaves and popped them in the freezer in a ziploc bag.

Print Recipe

Vegetable Biryani

Delicious and decadent, this biryani is made with loads of fresh vegetables, nuts and raisins.

Prep Time1 hour hr

Cook Time1 hour hr

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian, Pakistani

Keyword: biryani, nuts, raisins, rice, vegetables

Servings: 6

Author: Madhavi

Ingredients

• 2 cups basmati rice long grain
• 5 tbsp ghee or oil
• 2 cups plain thick yogurt
• 2 medium onions thinly sliced
• 2 medium potatoes peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 cup cauliflower chopped into bite size pieces
• 1 cup french beans sliced into bite size pieces
• 1 cup carrots chopped into bite size pieces
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup cashew nuts roughly broken
• 1/4 cup almonds sliced or roughly broken

Fresh Herbs and Spices

• 1 bunch fresh cilantro washed and chopped
• 1 bunch fresh mint washed and chopped
• 1 tsp ginger freshly grated
• 1.5 tsp garlic freshly crushed

Whole Spices

• 2 inch piece of cinnamon
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 cloves whole
• 5 green cardamoms whole
• 2 black cardamoms whole

Dried Spice Powders

• 2 tsp salt to taste
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp red chili
• 2 tsp garam masala or biryani masala
• 1 tsp saffron

Instructions

Part 1

• Thinly slice the onions and fry them in a large pot with 2-3 Tbsp of oil.

  Chop the vegetables into bite sized pieces and set aside.

  Thinly slice the potatoes and fry them till cooked and crisp in the same oil after the onions.

  Fry the nuts and raisins, set aside.

Part 2

• Add 1 Tbsp oil if needed.

  Add cumin seeds and whole spices (bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, black & green cardamoms) and let them sputter for 30 secs.

  Add the chopped vegetables, chopped cilantro and mint, half the fried onions, nuts, raisins, and potatoes one after another.

  Add the dry spices (turmeric, red chili, coriander, cumin powders, garam or biryani masala) and sauté them for 30 secs.

  Add the plain yogurt and salt, give it a quick stir and cook covered till the veggies are soft and cooked.

Part 3-Rice

• Cook the rice in plenty of water in another pan, and drain the water when rice is almost cooked. It should be a tad undercooked.

  Layer the cooked rice on top of the cooked vegetables.

Finishing

• Prepare the saffron mix by warming the saffron and milk in a microwave.

  Spoon the saffron mix over the rice, add dollops of ghee, remaining fried onions potatoes, nuts and raisins.

  Turn heat to low, cover and cook for 10 mins.

  Turn off the heat.
• Serve warm with a raita.