Vegetable Biriyani

Strangely I am not a big fan of Biriyani but Kundan is, so I prepare it once in a while and this time I have captured it for the blog. Biriyani basically refers to rice dish prepared with roasted vegetables or meat and a rich blend of spices. This dish was invented during the period of mughal empires and now is fondly relished largely in south asia. There are umpteen biriyani varieties each having its own origin and flavour; this one is quite a simple version of biriyani that I tried this time.

Serves:  2

Preparation Time:  20 minutes

Cooking Time:  20 minutes

Ingredients:

1.      Basmati rice – 2 cups

2.    Tomato - 3

3.    Carrot – 2

4.    Broccoli or Cauliflower – ½ head

5.     Onion – 1 + 3

6.    Green chilies – 4

7.     Coriander – ½ of a bunch finely chopped

8.    Meal maker – 1 cup

9.    Biriyani masala powder – 2 tbsp

10. Butter – 1 tbsp

11.  Oil - for deep frying onion to make barista + 2 tbsp

12. Cloves – 3

13. Cardamom – 2

14. Bay leaf – 1

15.  Marathi moggu – 2

16. Star anise – 1

17. Cinnamon – 2 “ piece

18.Ginger garlic paste – 2 tbsp

              19. Salt as required

              20. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Method:

Step 1: Wash and soak basmati rice in the water required to cook (I use 1: 1.5 proportion)

Step 2: Thinly slice 3 onions and deep fry them in oil, this is called barista and is a major flavour of any biriyani.

Step 3: Chop other vegetables and keep ready.

Step 4: Boil salted water and add the soy chunks to it; after 3 minutes squeeze out the water and keep it aside.

Step 5: Heat 2tbsp of oil in the pressure cooker, temper with cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, star anise, Marathi moggu, bay leaf and then sauté ginger garlic paste, onion and some coriander in it.

Step 6:  Add other vegetables in the cooker and add to it the prepared soy chunks or meal maker.

Step 7: Add biriyani masala, turmeric, some more coriander leaves, butter and mix well.

Step 8: Drain and add the soaked rice, season with required salt and fry for 2 minutes.

Step 9: Pour in the rice soaked water, add half the barista and some coriander leaves. Close the cooker lid and let it cook for two whistles.

Step 10: When the pressure subsides, open the cooker, garnish with crisp barista and fresh coriander leaves.

Step 11: Serve hot with the classic onion raita combination.

Cabbage Pulao

Cabbage gets a big No-No at my mother-in-law's home; yet I am very fond of my mom's cabbage porrial that I can gorge on a big bowl of it at once. And knowing few of its enormous health benefits like, it gives us healthy intestine, it has got antibacterial & antiviral properties and not to mention that it is widely used for obesity treatment. I personally adore this vegetable for it is very easy to cut, cook, eat and are available in all seasons and are also have culinary versatility as in, we can make south Indian, north Indian, Chinese,  and most other continental dishes. People don't like cabbage for its smell but pulao overrides this factor, so I attempted cabbage pulao and was honestly good.

Ingredients:

1. Cabbage - 1 small (I used red cabbage this time)
2. Onion - 1 large
3. Basmati rice - 1 cup
4. Water - 1 1/2 cups
5. Ghee/ Oil - 2 tbsp
6. Salt to taste
7. Green chili paste - 1/2 tbsp
8. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
9. Cinnamon - 1" piece
10. Bay leaf - 1
11. Coriander leaves to garnish.

Method:

Step 1: Wash and soak the basmati rice for 15 minutes.
Step 2: Chop theonion into thin half circles and chop the cabbage.
Step 3: Heat oil or ghee in the pressure cooker, crackle cumin seeds in it, drop in cinnamon & bay leaf and then add the sliced onion and saute until it becomesnice brown.
Step 4: Add green chili paste, salt and then drain soaked rice and add it to the masala. Roast until spices seep into the rice.
Step 5: Pour water required for the rice to cook and close lid, let a couple of whistles come and turn off the heat.
Step 6: Once the pressure subsides, open and enjoy a wonderful aroma, garnish with chopped coriander and raita to accompany.

Mint Pulao

This is another simple rice variety that came as a savior during my kinder-garden stages of kitchen particularly when I invited people home for lunch or dinner. The aroma that comes when you open the cooker just masks any flaws in its cooking and it is very compatible with plain raita to complex gravies. Sometimes easy works get great recognition and this is one of them so I love to cook this simple recipe again and again.

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1.       Mint leaves – 2 cups cleaned

2.       Green chilies – 3

3.       Garlic cloves – 5

4.       Coconut – 2” piece

5.       Ginger – 1” piece

6.       Onion – 1

7.       Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

8.       Cinnamon – 1” piece

9.       Bay leaf – 1

10.     Cloves – 2

11.   Ghee roasted cashew nuts – 1 tbsp (optional)

12.   Oil – 2 tbsp

13.  Basmati rice – 2 cups

      14.   Ghee – 1 tbsp

Method:

Step 1: Wash and soak rice for 15 minutes.

Step 2: Grind together the mint leaves, green chilies, garlic, ginger and coconut in a mixer jar into fine paste.

Step 3: Heat oil directly in the cooker, temper with: cumin seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and sauté thinly sliced onion in it till crisp and brown.

Step 4: Add the ground paste and sauté until raw smell goes and oil starts to separate.

Step 5: Drain and add the rice and fry for 2 minutes.

Step 6: Now add enough water for the rice to cook and necessary salt.

Step 7: Mix well and close the lid to pressure cook for 2 whistles or until it is done.

Step 8: When the pressure subsides, open drizzle a spoon of ghee and mix well.

Step 9: Garnish with roasted cashew nuts and serve with raita or gravy.

TIPS:

* Amount of water and time required depends on rice you use. Use the measures that you usually use for plain steamed rice.

*You can temper only the cumin seeds in ghee and mix at the last to have the cumin seeds crispy and flavorful.

*Adding a spoon of lemon juice at the end is optional.

Jeera Rice

When I started packing lunch to my husband after marriage, I think every alternate day he took jeera rice whatever went for side with it. There are two reasons for this; it is easy-peasy and it remains non-sticky until afternoon (I was still learning the proportion of water for rice then). Once when my aunt was here I prepared jeera rice and ‘kollu thovial’ (a typical south Indian chutney); she liked the combination so much that she got them wedded, a proper north Indian and south Indian combo you’d have not heard of.

Ingredients:

1.       Cooked rice – 2 cups

2.       Ghee – 2 tbsp

3.       Onion – 1 (Optional)

4.       Cumin seeds – 1 ½ tsp

5.       Ghee roasted cashewnuts – 1 tbsp (Optional)

6.       Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp chopped

7.       Salt to taste.

Method:

Step 1: Cut the onion into halves and slice them thin.

Step 2: Heat ghee in a non-stick pan, splutter cumin, add onion and sauté in high heat until brown; then add coriander.

Step 3: Immediately add rice, sprinkle enough salt and toss well until they are mixed.

Step 4: Garnish with roasted cashews and serve with gravies or dal.

Paneer Fried Rice

I am very fond of fried rice and have always wanted to try the restaurant style fried rice at home and now it happened. I had tried the simplest version and there are some more variants. Something I learnt for the first time is, in restaurants they cook the rice previous day and refrigerate it to get that non-sticky crisp form. Though I made paneer fried rice, veg fried rice just a subset of paneer fried rice or in other words Veg fried rice + Grated paneer = Paneer fried rice J

Ingredients:

1.       Pre-cooked basmati rice – 2 cups

2.       Carrot – ½ cup finely chopped

3.       Bush beans – ½ cup finely chopped

4.       Spring onion – 1 bunch (green and white part chopped separately)

5.       Grated paneer – ¾ cup

6.       Oil – 2 tbsp

7.       Vinegar – 1 tsp

8.       Pepper crushed – 1 tsp

9.       Salt to taste

Method:

Step 1: Heat oil in a wide pan and sauté white part of spring onion in that, add carrot and beans and sauté in high heat for a minute.

Step 2: Sprinkle salt, pepper and drizzle vinegar. Keep tossing.

Step 3: Add spring onion and paneer and toss well.

Step 4: Now add cooked rice with more salt as required and adjust vinegar and pepper. Toss in high heat until the rice gets heated up.

Step 5: Serve hot with gravies or sauce.