Happiness means at times eating Vegetable Biryani!!

It has been quite a very long time I stayed away from blogging for various reasons.  The more I stayed away, I more I was addicted to that in fact.  I was a silent lurker in all this time frame and never missed any of my favorite blogger recipes.   Every time, I wish to resume blogging, I was afraid if I would be able to continue it ever and stayed back for this reason.  However, the thirst of recommencing blogging has always been there at the back of my small brain.

Time flies very fast and now Junior H has grown up and takes care of him individually at most of the times.  He is pretty much like me J, a foodie by nature, and is the first criticizer of my dishes.  This nature of him pushed me the fact of resuming blogging for a purpose; when he gets old he can have the collection of his mommy’s recipes.

Coming to the recipe, I have always enjoyed eating Biryani.  I started knowing the dish when I was about in 10^th grade of school.  Ever since, my fondness on Biryani has never faded and I have tried out in several variations which has mastered me in this special dish.  

I have my own set of lunch gang in office and this recipe is derived from one among them with my own variations to suit my family taste.

Ingredients:

Mixed Vegetables (Beans, Carrot, Cauliflower, Green Peas, Potato) – 1 large bowl

Mint and Clintaro leaves – 1 cup

Onion – 1 big size

Tomato – 2 medium size

Soya chunks/Meal maker – half cup or as desired (I used medium sized)

Ginger and garlic paste (make with 1/2 inch piece of ginger and 5 pods of garlic)

Green chillies – 2

Basmatic Rice – 1 cup

Chilly powder – 1 teaspoon

Coconut milk – 0.5 cup (optional)

Cardamom – 1

Cinnamon – 1 inch

Clove – 3-4

Ghee – 2 tablespoons (As desired)

Oil – 4 teaspoons

Water – 1.5 cups

Pre-Preparation:

1. Soak the basmati rice in warm water for about 30 minutes. 

2.  Wash and chop the vegetables in desired form.

3. In the large bowl, boil hot water with salt, and upon reaching the boiling stage, switch off the flame, and add soya chunks.  Let it remain for 10 minutes.  Drain the water and squeeze out the soya chunks to drain the absorbed water.

4. Heat a pan with little oil and shallow fry the soya chunks.  This would help to remove to raw taste from them.

5. Grind ginger, garlic, and green chilies and keep it aside.

6. Chop the clintaro leaves and clean both mint and clintaro leaves in water to remove the dust.

7. Extract coconut milk from a fresh coconut.  This is completely optional but gives rich taste to the biryani.

Preparation

1.      Heat the pressure with oil and add bay leaf, cinnamom, cardamom, and cloves.

2.      Add chopped onion and later tomato

3.      Once the tomato has turned mushy, add the cleaned mint and cilantro leaves.

4.      Add the chopped vegetables except green peas and cauliflower and add salt as desired.

5.      After 3 minutes, add the ground paste of ginger, garlic, and green chillies.

6.      After the raw smell of paste has diminished, add chilly powder.  This will give a good color to the biryani.

7.      Add the required amount of water, once it boils, add the basmati rice after draining the water content.

8.     Add coconut milk if you have planned to use, else increase the water content by 1/2 cup in previous step.

9.     Add soya chunks, cauliflower florets, and green peas.

10.  Add 2 teaspoons of ghee.  Close the lid and pressure cook for one vessel.  Remove the lid once the pressure releases.