My first attempt at biryani with ingredients that I pretty much already had in the kitchen!
The recipe that I used is adapted from Cooking With Manali
Ingredients:
Per 4-5 servings:
- 1 cup uncooked basmati rice
- 3 cups water, for soaking
- 4 teaspoons ground cloves, divided into 2 parts
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons avocado or olive oil (substitute with ghee, if you have it)
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- handful of chopped cashews (optional, I didn’t use it but I know a lot of people enjoy them in their biryanis)
- 1 small russet potato, peeled and cubed
- 1 cup green beans, chopped (I used frozen)
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 2 tablespoons milk (I used oat milk due to lactose intolerance)
- 1-2 strands saffron, crushed (optional, but recommended)
- 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced jalapenos (I used jalapeno paste)
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1-2 bay leaves
- dash of nutmeg
- dash of cinnamon
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt (vegans - skip this)
- 1.5 teaspoons biryani masala (Note: I realize that this note might be entirely unhelpful, but I substituted biryani masala with my mom’s indian seasoning blend that she sent me off to college with. I have no idea what she put in it, but it’s a mix of indian spices that’s ended up being my go-to for all things indian cooking. You can also substitute this with garam masala, if you have it.)
- 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1/3 cup water
- 1.5 tablespoons chopped mint
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus extra for garnish
- pepper, to taste
- 1 lemon, quartered
Instructions:
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Begin by soaking your rice in 3 cups of water for 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes, drain the water.
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While the rice is soaking, you can begin partially cooking the vegetables (they will cook further later on). Since we’re half-cooking each vegetable individually, it can take some time.
Before
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Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium pan. When heated, add the red onions and cook until caramelized, which takes ~8 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl or plate.
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Bring the pan back to heat and add another tablespoon of oil. Add the potatoes and cook for 4-5 minutes, and then transfer to a bowl or plate.
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Bring the pan back to heat, add another tablespoon of oil, and add the green beans and carrots. Cook for ~4 minutes, and then transfer to a bowl or plate.
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If you’re using cashews, bring the pan back to heat and add the cashews (no additional oil necessary). Cook for 1-2 minutes until golden brown, and then transfer to a bowl or plate. This concludes the first round of vegetable cooking.
After
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In a small pan, heat the milk. When warm, remove from heat, add crushed saffron, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Set aside.
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At this point, your rice should be done soaking and drained. Heat a small pot a little more than halfway with water and add 2 teaspoons cloves and 1 teaspoon salt. Let the water come to a boil, and then add the soaked rice. Let the rice cook uncovered on medium heat until it’s about 75% cooked, which takes about 7-8 minutes. Once your rice is at this point, remove from heat and drain. You don’t need to rinse out the rice.
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Make the ginger garlic paste by adding the minced ginger, garlic, and jalapeno to a small bowl and then mixing. Set aside.
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Time for round 2 of vegetable cooking! Heat the last tablespoon of oil in a large pan. Add the cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, bay leaf/leaves, salt (to taste), pepper (to taste), and 2 teaspoons cloves. After the spices are sizzling, add the ginger garlic paste. Cook for a minute or two.
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Briefly remove the pan from heat, add the yogurt, and mix until incorporated. Return the pan to heat, and add all of the vegetables. Mix them with the spices.
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Add the biryani masala/spice blend/garam masala (whichever one you’re using), along with the chilli powder. Add 1/3 cup water and let your vegetables cook for 6-7 minutes, covered or uncovered (I cooked mine covered). They should be mostly cooked, but not entirely. Your end product should be mostly thick with the water absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside.
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Lightly grease a large pot, and begin layering. Add 1/3 of the ~75% cooked rice at the bottom, and then add half of all of the vegetables followed by the half of the cashews (if using), half of the cilantro, and half of the mint.
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For the second layer, add another 1/3 of rice and the rest of the vegetables.
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For the last layer, add the last 1/3 of rice, the rest of the cashews (if using), the rest of the cilantro, and the rest of the mint. Drizzle the saffron milk on top, and then cover the pan tightly with foil and then add the lid.
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Heat a flat pan on medium heat (your pot should be able to sit on top of the flat pan). When the flat pan is hot, reduce the heat to your lowest setting and place the covered biryani pot on top. Let it cook for ~25 minutes.
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When cooked, remove from heat and mix all the way through to de-layer. Garnish with cilantro and serve with lemon.
