A Vegetable Biryani Recipe

7/31/2019 A Vegetable Biryani Recipe

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Dum Pukhtis a technique of cooking in steam by not allowing the steam to pass.Dum

Pukhtliterally means choking off the steam. The food is kept in a sealed container

usually clay pots (also known as handi in India) which are sealed tightly with wheat

flour dough. This does not allow the steam to pass. The food gets cooked in its own

steam and juices on a slow fire infusing the flavors and aroma of its own herbs andspices in the food. Nutrients are not lost in this process and thus the food is nutritious

too.

This tradition ofdum pukhtorginated in Persia where the dish was prepared, sealed

and then buried in hot sand to mature.Dum Pukhtis part of theAvadhi/Awadhi

Cuisine which is from the city of LucknowUttar Pradesh. NowadaysDum Pukhtis

also used in Hyderabadi, Mughlai and Punjabi cuisines. Some of the popular dum

recipes are :Dum Aloo, Handi Veg Biryani, Dum Chicken biryani, Phaldari Kofta.

ThisHyderabadi Vegetable Biryani Recipe is one of the best biryani I have made so far. I have

also cooked my moms version and that too comes out great. I will also post her recipe one day. There

is also theLucknowi Biryani, Mughlai Biryani, Kashmiri Biryani. They all have their own tastes and

flavor.
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This Vegetable Biryani recipe is light, mild and delicious. In fact, it came out so well and tasted lip

smackingly yum. that I went for a second helping of it. The rice grains were fluffy, cooked well

and separate. The subtle flavors of the garam masala, onions and curd were so infused in the

vegetables. Each bite of the vegetable had the taste, flavor and aroma of the masala as well as the

unique taste of the vegetable. All I can say is that each bite of this hyderabadi dum vegetable biryanirecipe was heavenly.

As far as the ingredients are concerned, its best to use all the ingredients as mentioned below.

Personally, I did not have mace, so i was not able to use it. And for the almonds, I was too lazy to

blanch, peel and slice the almonds, so I have not added the almonds.

This biryani recipe post is my most lengthy post till now with maximum pictures. I have included

step by step recipe details with pictures for this post. I just did not want to write a simple post with

just one or two pictures for this beautiful dish. I hope you enjoy making this recipe as much as I

enjoyed and also, that these pictures inspire you to cook not only the biryani but any recipe.
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Ingredients to make this awesome Hyderabad Veg Biryani:

The Rice:

1 and half cup basmati rice 2 green cardamoms

2 black cardamoms 2 cloves 1 cinnamon of 1 inch 1 bay leaf 2 mace strands 3 cups water saltThe Vegetable Gravy:

1/2 medium sized cauliflower, florets removed 1 medium sized carrot, diced 1 medium sized potato, cubed 1 cup of chopped french beans 1/2 cup frozen/fresh peas 1 and half onion, finely sliced 1 green chili, slit 2 tbsp julienned ginger 1 tbsp chopped garlic 2 green cardamom 2 black cardamoms 2 cloves 1 cinnamon of 1 inch 1 bay leaf 2 mace strands 1oo gms whisked curd 1/4 tsp turmeric powder 1/2 tsp red chili powder/cayenne pepper 2 tbsp cashewnuts 1 tbsp sultanas/raisins 2 tbsp almonds, blanched, peeled and sliced 3 tbsp ghee salt


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Herbs and Spices for the assembling:

1/2 cup chopped coriander/cilantro leaves 1/2 cup mint leaves 100 gms whisked curd a few saffron strands 1 tbsp milk
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Method to make the Hyderabad Veg Biryani:

Cooking the Rice:

Pick and clean the rice in running water. Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes. Now you can microwave or pressure cook the rice. You have to cook the rice till its 3/4th done.

The rice should not be fully cooked but almost cooked.

In a pressure cooker or a microwave cooker, add the pre-soaked rice, all the spices mentionedabove, salt.
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Cook till the rice till is almost done.
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I microwaved the rice and cooked it for 9 minutes at full power. Fluff the rice and keep itseparate.
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Making the Vegetable Gravy:

Traditionally biryani were made in clay pots, known as handis. If you have a clay pot, you coulduse it. I did not have a clay pot or handi. But I have a pressure cooker shaped like a handi, so I

used it. If you have a handi shaped pot made up of aluminium, you could use it also.

Heat ghee in the handi. Add all whole garam masala: cardamoms, mace, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves. Fry the garam

masala till they crackle.

Now add the onions. Fry the onions till golden brown.
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Add the green chilli, ginger and garlic. Fry for a minute.
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Add the turmeric and red chili powder.
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Give the mixture a stir. Now add the vegetables and stir for a minute.
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Add the curd/yoghurt.
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Stir and then add 3/4 cup water plus salt. Stir the mixture well.
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If using a pressure cooker for cooking the veggies, then cover the cooker with a lid and pressurecook for 2 minutes.

If not using a pressure cooker, then bring the entire vegetable mixture to a boil. Then simmeruntil the vegetables are cooked. Add the dry fruits almonds, raisins and cashew nuts to the

vegetable gravy.
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Check the salt. Add more if required.Assembling the Biryani and slow cooking it on Dum:

Warm the milk. Add saffron to it. Let this saffron-milk mixture cool. Add the curd to this mixtureand mix well.
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In the same handi with the cooked vegetables, sprinkle half each of saffron-flavoredcurd/yoghurt, mint and coriander leaves.
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Now spread half of the rice.
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Sprinkle the remaining saffron-flavored curd/yoghurt, mint and coriander leaves.
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Spread the remaining rice.
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Sprinkle rose water. This is optional and you could skip it. Place a moist cloth on top.
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Cover with a lid.
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Then seal with wheat flour dough. I was too lazy to make the wheat dough, so I kept a heavyweight on the lid.
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This is one technique that you could use for dum cooking if you do not have the wheat flourdough.

Place the sealed handi on the gas stove at low fire. Cook for 20-25 minutes more. If you think and feel, that you do not want the base to get burnt

while cooking the biryani there is a technique for avoiding this disaster.

Right at the beginning, before dum cooking the biryani. take a tava/griddle and heat it onmedium flame. Now keep the sealed handi on the tava. Keep the flame to the lowest and cook for

20-25 minutes.

For the first 15 minutes, I dum cooked the biryani on direct low flame and for the last 10minutes, I placed the handi on the tava and cooked on a low flame.

You could also preheat the oven to 190 degree celsius and then bake the biryani in the oven for15-20 minutes. Please remember to use an oven proof utensil like the pyrex ones for baking in

the oven. You will have to assemble the biryani as mentioned above in the oven proof utensil and

then bake it.

While serving, make sure you equally serve the vegetables as well as rice. Here are a few picturesof the layers seen inside the handi.
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Serve the yummy veg biryani with your choice of raita, onion-mint salad-kuchumber, mangopickle, roasted papad.
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Other accompaniments for this Hyderabad Veg Biryani would be Mirchon ka Salan. the waythe Biryani is traditionally served in Hyderabad.

printable version below:

Print

Hyderabad Veg BiryaniRating: 5

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Serving Size: 4
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A vegetable biryani from the land of the Nawabs - Hyderabad. The biryani is light, aromatic anddeliciously yum....

Ingredients

The Rice: 1 and half cup basmati rice 2 green cardamoms 2 black cardamoms 2 cloves 1 cinnamon of 1 inch 1 bay leaf 2 mace strands 3 cups water salt


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The Vegetable Gravy: 1/2 medium sized cauliflower, florets removed 1 medium sized carrot, diced 1 medium sized potato, cubed 1 cup of chopped french beans 1/2 cup frozen/fresh peas 1 and half onion, finely sliced 1 green chili, slit 2 tbsp julienned ginger 1 tbsp chopped garlic

2 green cardamom 2 black cardamoms 2 cloves 1 cinnamon of 1 inch 1 bay leaf 2 mace strands 1oo gms whisked curd 1/4 tsp turmeric powder 1/2 tsp red chili powder/cayenne pepper 2 tbsp cashewnuts 1 tbsp sultanas/raisins 2 tbsp almonds, blanched, peeled and sliced 3 tbsp ghee salt Herbs and Spices for the assembling:

1/2 cup chopped coriander/cilantro leaves 1/2 cup mint leaves 100 gms whisked curd a few saffron strands 1 tbsp milkInstructions


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1. Cooking the Rice:2. Pick and clean the rice in running water. Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes.3. Now you can microwave or pressure cook the rice. You have to cook the rice till its 3/4th done.

The rice should not be fully cooked but almost cooked.

4. In a pressure cooker or a microwave cooker, add the pre-soaked rice, all the spices mentionedabove, salt. Cook till the rice till is almost done. I microwaved the rice and cooked it for 9 minutes

at full power. Fluff the rice and keep it separate.

5. Making the Vegetable Gravy:6. Traditionally biryani were made in clay pots, known as handis. If you have a clay pot, you could

use it. I did not have a clay pot or handi. But I have a pressure cooker shaped like a handi, so I

used it. If you have a handi shaped pot made up of aluminium, you could use it also.

7. Heat ghee in the handi.8.

Add all whole garam masala: cardamoms, mace, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves. Fry the garammasala till they crackle.

9. Now add the onions. Fry the onions till golden brown.10.Add the green chilli, ginger and garlic. Fry for a minute.11.Add the turmeric and red chili powder.12. Give the mixture a stir.13. Now add the vegetables and stir for a minute.14.Add the curd/yoghurt.15. Stir and then add 3/4 cup water plus salt. Stir the mixture well.16. If using a pressure cooker for cooking the veggies, then cover the cooker with a lid and pressure

cook for 2 minutes.

17. If not using a pressure cooker, then bring the entire vegetable mixture to a boil. Then simmer untilthe vegetables are cooked. Add the dry fruits almonds, raisins and cashew nuts to the vegetable

gravy.

18. Check the salt. Add more if required.19.Assembling the Biryani and slow cooking it on Dum:20.Warm the milk. Add saffron to it. Let this saffron-milk mixture cool. Add the curd to this mixture

and mix well.21. In the same handi with the cooked vegetables, sprinkle half each of saffron-flavored curd/yoghurt,

mint and coriander leaves.

22.Now spread half of the rice.23.Sprinkle the remaining saffron-flavored curd/yoghurt, mint and coriander leaves.24.Spread the remaining rice.25.Sprinkle rose water. This is optional and you could skip it.


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26.Place a moist cloth on top.27.Cover with a lid.28.Then seal with wheat flour dough or keep a heavy weight on the lid.29.This is one technique that you could use for dum cooking if you do not have the wheat flour dough.30.Place the sealed handi on the gas stove at low fire.31. Cook for 20-25 minutes more. If you think and feel, that you do not want the base to get burnt

while cooking the biryani there is a technique for avoiding this disaster.

32.Right at the beginning, before dum cooking the biryani. take a tava/griddle and heat it onmedium flame. Now keep the sealed handi on the tava. Keep the flame to the lowest and cook for

20-25 minutes.

33.For the first 15 minutes, I dum cooked the biryani on direct low flame and for the last 10 minutes,I placed the handi on the tava and cooked on a low flame.

34.You could also preheat the oven to 190 degree celsius and then bake the biryani in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Please remember to use an oven proof utensil like the pyrex ones for baking in the

oven. You will have to assemble the biryani as mentioned above in the oven proof utensil and then

bake it.

35.While serving, make sure you equally serve the vegetables as well as rice.36.Serve the yummy veg biryani with your choice of raita, onion-mint salad-kuchumber, mango

pickle, roasted papad.

37.Other accompaniments for this Hyderabad Veg Biryani would be Mirchon ka Salan. the waytheBiryani is traditionally served in Hyderabad.

A Vegetable Biryani Recipe

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