Before going into the details of the Dum Biryani recipe, I would like to share something that I learnt recently, that is the difference between a Pulao and Biryani. In the former, rice is cooked along with all the spices and vegetables whereas in biryani the rice and the vegetables (along with spices ) are cooked separately till 70% is done and are then layered alternatively and cooked slowly. This slow cooking process is called Dum cooking.
Prep time - 1 hr approx
Cooking time - 30 mins
Baking time - 45 mins to 1 hr
Ingredients :
For garnishing :
Saffron - 1 tsp
Fried onions - 1/2 to 3/4 cup [ store bought, these may also be readily available in Indian grocery stores.]
For the rice :
Basmati rice - 1.5 cups
Mint - 2 to 3 tbsp, chopped
Cilantro / coriander leaves - 2 to 3 tbsp, finely chopped
Oil - 1 + 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Whole spices for rice:
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch stick
Cloves- 4
Cardamom - 1
Bay leaf - 1
For the vegetables:
Potatoes - 2 , cut into long and thick strips
Carrots - 2, cut into long strips
Beans - 3/4 cups, cut into medium pieces
Cauliflower - 1/2 cup, cut into big florets
Peas - 1/2 cup
Onions - 1, medium, cut into long strips
Tomato - 1, medium and firm, cut into medium cubes
Paneer - 1/2 cup, cut into cubes
Walnuts - 1/4 cup
Cashew nuts - 1/4 cup
Yoghurt - 3/4 to 1 cup
Jeera / Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
Mint - 3 to 4 tbsp, chopped
Cilantro / Coriander seeds - 3 to 4 tbsp
Kasuri methi / dried fenugreek leaves - 1 tbsp
Green chillies - 4 , slit
Ginger & garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Whole spices for the vegetables :
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch stick
Cloves- 4
Cardamom - 2
Bay leaf - 1
Oil - 3 tbsp
For the Biryani Masala [ You can also use store bought biryani masala ]
Whole dried red chillies - 6
Whole dried cloves - 6
Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
One hour prior to cooking :
- Wash and soak the rice in water .
- Soak the saffron in 2-3 tbsp of water.
- Prepare paneer if making at home .
- Prepare Biryani masala if necessary - Dry roast the coriander seeds, red chillies and cloves till the coriander seeds turn golden brown. Cool and grind this mixture.
Procedure :
Marination of the vegetables:
In a big bowl mix ginger and garlic paste, coriander powder and turmeric properly. Add in the vegetables, mint leaves, coriander leaves , Kasuri methi and little salt. Mix properly taking care that the vegetables do not break during mixing. Cover and keep the vegetable mix aside.
Cooking the Rice :
Take a big vessel and boil about 7-8 cups of water. Drain the water from the rice and when the water comes to a rolling boil add the drained rice along with the whole spices , mint leaves, coriander leaves,a tsp of oil and salt. We want the rice to be cooked only 70 % so keep stirring in between and check that the rice doesnt get overcooked. This should take less than 5 minutes on medium heat . Also keep stirring to prevent rice from sticking in the bottom.
Once cooked drain the water from the rice in a colander . The drained rice would have a very nice aroma from the whole spices, cilantro and mint leaves . Add another tsp of oil and with a fork fluff up the rice while mixing the oil. Keep the rice aside.
Cooking the vegetables :
Heat oil in a large pan on medium heat.In the hot oil add cumin seeds and whole spices. Stir for few seconds and add in the onions and fry till golden brown.
Once the onions turn golden brown sprinkle about a tbsp biryani masala and turmeric , give it a good stir and add in the vegetables. Add more salt if you want to. Cover and cook the vegetables till the potatoes and carrots are 70 % done. Take a potato and carrot and cut them with a knife, they would get cut yet not easily, [ same as in when you cut refrigerated butter] This should take approx ten mins or less on medium heat.
While the vegetables are getting cooked, in a small pan heat a tbsp of oil and shallow fry the cashew nuts, walnuts and paneer respectively.
Once the vegetables are done switch off the heat and add in the fried walnuts and cashew nuts, fried paneer, tomatoes and curd and mix gently and keep it aside.
Layering the Biryani:
Preheat the oven at 400 F.
Grease a baking pan, there will be 2 layers of vegetables and 3 layers of rice so choose a baking pan big enough for 5 layers.
1st layer (rice):
Spread a layer of rice ( as we will have 3 layers of rice, use rice here by keeping aside enough rice for the other two layers)
After spreading the rice sprinkle about 1/2 to 1 tsp of biryani masala.
2nd layer (vegetables):
Now layer the vegetables over the rice. ( as we will have 2 layers of veggies, use half veggies in this layer keeping the other half of veggies aside.)
Press the veggies gently with a large spoon to make room for other layers. Now sprinkle some fried onions over the veggies.
3rd layer (rice):
Spread another layer of rice over the veggies.
Sprinkle the biryani masala.[ I avoided sprinkling the masala in the 3rd layer as i didn't want it to be too spicy.]
4th layer (vegetables):
Spread the remaining half of vegetables over the rice.
Sprinkle some fried onions and press the veggies gently with a large spoon.
5th layer (rice):
Spread the remaining rice over the vegetables evenly. Sprinkle the fried onions and finally sprinkle the saffron over the rice.
Cover the baking pan with an aluminum foil and bake for 45 mins.
[ This baking step can also be done by double boiling. For this, heat water in a large skillet on medium heat and place the steel pan ( with the layers of veggies and rice ) over it for 45 mins]
When done the fried onions would turn dark brown in color. Do not over-cook in the oven as the rice might turn hard.
Serve hot. Since the Biryani is a wholesome meal by itself, it can be served with a plain raita.
[ To watch the video of the complete recipe of Vegetable Dum Biryani from showmethecurry.com click here.]
I love Biryani! I am yet to try this recipe!
ReplyDelete