Hyderabadi Veg Dum Biryani

Ingredients:

• For rice:
• Basmati rice: 1.5 cups
• Salt: to taste
• Oil: 1 tbsp
• Ghee: 1 tbsp
• Cloves/ Laung: 2-3
• Black Cardamom/ Badi Ilaichi: 2
• Bayleaf/ TejPatta: 2
• Cinnamon stick/Dalchini: 1 inch piece
• Saffron Milk:
• Dissolve a few saffron strands in 2 tbsp warm milk.
• For shallow frying onions:
• Oil: 5-6 tbsp
• Onions: 2 (Large) (Slice lengthwise)
• Nuts:
• Cashews: 1-2 tbsp
• Almonds: 1-2 tbsp
• Raisins: 1-2 tbsp (optional)
• Spices:
• Ginger Garlic paste: 1 tbsp
• Mint Coriander paste: 1/2 cup (Gring mint and coriander leaves together)
• Biryani Masala/ Garam masala: 2 tbsp
• Red chilli pwd: to taste (optional)
• Turmeric pwd: 1 tsp
• Salt: to taste
• Vegetables:
• Onion: 1 (Large) (chopped)
• Potatoes: 1 (medium) (chopped)
• French Beans/ Green Beans: 1/4 cup (chopped)
• Carrots: 1 (chopped)
• Cauliflower Florets: 1/4 cup
• Oil/ghee: 2-3 tbsp
• Beaten Curd: 1/2 cup
• Milk:1/4 cup
• Fresh Coriander leaves: chopped
• Dough : to seal the pan

Method:

1. Boiling Rice:
• Wash and soak rice in 3 cups of water for 5-10 mins .
• Tempering (for rice):
• Heat 1 tbsp ghee in pan.
• Add cloves, black cardamom pwd, bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Cook for a min.
• Add soaked rice with water (3 cups) to the tempering.
• Add salt and 1 tbsp oil . Take a boil and Cook rice on low flame for 8-10 mins until it is 3/4th cooked.
• Keep it aside.
2. Shallow frying onions:
• Heat oil (5-6 tbsp) in pan.
• Add onions and shallow fry onions until golden brown.
• Drain on absorbent paper and keep aside.
3. Shallow fry nuts as well. (You can omit this step and use the nuts as such)
4. Preparing vegetables:
• Heat oil/ghee (2-3 tbsp) in pan.
• Add ginger garlic paste. Cook for a min.
• Add onions. Cook till onions turn translucent.
• Add biryani masala/ garam masala, mint coriander paste, red chilli pwd, turmeric pwd, salt, vegetables (cauliflower florets, french beans, potatoes, carrots) and milk (1/4 cup).
• Cover and cook on low flame till vegetables are done.
• Remove the lid, turn off the flame. Let it rest till the moisture evaporates.
• Add curd and  mix well.
5. Preparing the biryani (Layering):
• In a pan, spread a  layer of vegetables. Then spread a layer of rice. Spread a few shallow fried onions. Spread a layer of vegetables and a layer of rice.
• Repeat the process and finish with rice on the top.
• Spread saffron milk on top.
• Sprinkle nuts and spread remaining shallow fried onions.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.
6. Preparing Dum:
• Cover the pan (containing biryani). Seal it with dough on all sides.
• Next  step can be done in either of the two ways,
1. If you have hot plate/ electric hob,
• Put this biryani pan on hot plate and cook on low heat for 15-20 mins. (I cooked on number1 on electric hob)
2. If you have cooking gas/ stove (in which you cook on direct flame)
• Place an iron tawa on the gas/ stove and put biryani pan on it.
• Cook for 15-20 mins on lowest flame.
7. Ready to serve with raita of your choice. (In Hyderabad, it is served with Mirchi ka Salan)

PS:

• Instead of making coriander mint paste, you can add coriander and mint leaves (without chopping) while boiling rice.
• You can add shahi jeera, green chilli (chopped) also while making tempering for rice.
• You can also sprinkle some lemon juice before sprinkling nuts and shallow fried onions on the top of biryani.
• In Layering, you can first spread the layer of rice (instead of vegetables, as above) but make sure the top layer should be of rice.
• Baking Biryani:
• You can bake biryani instead of dum.
• Assemble the biryani in oven proof dish like Pyrex .(Layering step no. 5 above)
• Cover the dish with aluminium foil.
• Now, preheat oven to 180 deg C.
• Bake for 15-20 mins.