Vegetable Biryani

 I know, I know... Vegetable Biryani is not a thing. It's a made-up name. It's a fake. It's dishonesty. It's not supposed to be called Biryani. BUT... But, it does taste & smell heavenly, just like the age old Biryani. YUMMM !!!

Traditionally, Biryani is made with some kind of meat, red meat in specific. It is a Mughal recipe idea which started off during some war where the king asked the main chef of the camp to create something that has the perfect combination of nutrition & taste and which'd keep the warriors full & energetic and also something that'd stay longer being packed for the road (or something like that). 

The head chef, then created the ever so popular Biryani - Layers of soft & tender meat marinated (& thus cooked) in heavenly smelling spices and white fluffy long grain rice with the freshness of lemon & mint and the calming effect of yoghurt and the richness of the saffron. 

No, I am sorry, I have not used so many things in this Vegetable Biryani because as I said earlier... Vegetable Biryani is not a real thing. It's made-up. But then why not, right??? Vegetarians like the rest of us deserve a heavenly smelling, minty fresh Biryani. So here it is... A vegetable version of the Biryani which is NOT cooked in the traditional way & does not use a boat load of ingredients. I made this during the 9 days when we had Ganpati at our house & hence it uses No-Onion-No-Garlic. Also, I used pre-made Powder Kitchen King Masala, you could use Biryani Masala for sure. I did not use it because it had Garlic in it. There's definitely garden fresh mint in it from our backyard which made the entire kitchen smell yum & fresh. 

Here's what I used..

• 1 cup long grain Basmati rice (Washed 3 - 4 times until the water runs clear & then soaked in cold water for at least 30 minutes)
• Cubed vegetables of your choice. I used approximately 1 cup each (may be a little here & there)
• Cauliflower
• Green Bell Pepper
• Carrot
• Green Beans
• 1/2 a roma tomato
• Chopped Fresh Mint - 1/2 cup
• Chopped Fresh Coriander - 1/2 cup
• 2 tbsp No-Onion-No-Garlic Kitchen Kind Masala
• Salt + Turmeric
• Whole Spices
• 1 black cardamom
• 4 green cardamoms
• 2 inches long cinnamon stick (Broken into two pieces)
• 6 - 7 cloves
• 8-10 Black Pepper Corns
• 1 star anise
• 4 tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 2 tbsp Ghee
• A very heavy bottom non-stick pan with a tight lid

Process

• Heat the pan on medium heat --> Add the oil & wait for it to be hot.
• When hot, add the whole spices (all of them) & fry till they are fragrant.
• Next add the vegetables & turmeric & kitchen king powder & fry on med-high heat until all vegetables are fried nicely but not yet cooked through (Thats why the med- high heat). 
• After the vegetables are fried nicely & coated well with the masalas, add the tomatoes & salt.
• The salt with help soften the tomatoes. 
• Fry the vegetables & tomatoes together for 5-7 minutes. 
• Next goes in the rice, mint & coriander and give it a good stir. 
• Fry everything together for 2 - 3 more minutes & then add water - 2 cups of water. 
• Add the ghee & give it all a good mix. 
• Now, lower the heat to the lowest possible setting & cover the pan & then cook it for 15 minutes or until rice is soft. 
• Do not over mix the rice, it is not necessary at all. 
• After 15 minutes, give the rice a mix using a fork very very carefully. Check for water at the bottom of the pan. If you feel water, let it cook for 5 more minutes, else switch off the heat & let the rice sit there until you are ready to serve it. 

Enjoy with cucumber raita (Finely chopped english cucumbers + Yogurt + Water + salt + Cumin-Red Chili powder) and some fryums or papads.