Layered Dum Biriyani – by, Chaitra

I love following my fellow-bloggers’ work… And I genuinely appreciate their posts and articles by dropping my likes or leaving comments! One such blog is ‘Aathidhyam‘ :) I always liked the posts and commented many times but never knew the author – Chaitra… Recently, I got to discuss some minor thing with her through social media and that was the only reason why we got into interaction :) Absolutely enjoyed chatting with her and since then, we have been in touch! I find her a very bubblie girl who’s passionate about her profession and that too in management! Well, I might have mentioned before that I’ve a soft corner for those who works with management, didn’t I? ;) And in a few days, I asked her if she can do a guest-post for me. I loved her prompt response and found her as excited as I was (I’m) :P
She specially prepared a wonderful dish to bring here… But for some reason, she wasn’t happy with the clicks and you know what… She did it all again from scratch!!! Thank you so much, Chaitra… for putting high efforts in preparation and being my guest :) Over to her…

A HR by profession, maths hater, science lover and a cook. This is all in all about me. Post college and terrible hostel life, I decided to stay on my own and that’s when I learnt cooking. After many many disasters and pasta surviving, my fiancée taught me basic cooking. From there, the journey is something you all know :)

So we both got connected instantly as friends. I am a silent admirer of her cakes. I love her creativity which portrays on her cakes and recipes. Apart from being a wonderful cook, she is a wonderful human being as well who solaces when someone is in need. She did that when I was in such situation and I still remember messaging her back saying SJ now everything is sorted. She has amazing collection of recipes and bakes and one more thing, she loves garlic :P

I have a heard a lot about Hyderabadi Biryani before coming to Hyderabad. But somehow it failed to impress me miserably. Most of the times, it is very bland with scanty masalas and white rice. Well I am talking about Veg Biryani. Recently, I chanced this recipe in a local magazine and I knew I will give it a shot. When I tried it, it just turned amazing and now it is every Sunday affair at home.

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 cups Basmati Rice or any long grain rice (Cook along with 2 bayleaves, 1 star anise, 1 clove, 1 cardamom and ½ inch cinnamon stick)
1+1 tbsp Ghee
1/4th cup Mint + Coriander leaves, chopped finely
1/4 cup Browned Onions
2 tbsp Cashews
1 tbsp Raisins

Vegetables:
1 Carrot, chopped
8-10 Beans, chopped finely
8-10 florets Cauliflower
1 Potato, boiled & cubed
1/4 cup Green Peas
1 tbsp Sweet corn (optional)
1 medium sized Onion, chopped
3 Green Chillies

Spice Powders:
1/2 tsp Red Chilly Powder
1/2 tsp Biryani Masala
1/2 tsp Garam masala
1/2 tsp Pepper Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder ( avoid if you are using orange or yellow food color)
Salt, to taste
1/4 tsp Sugar
2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
1/2 cup Curd

To temper:
2 tbsp Oil
1/2″ piece Cinnamon Stick
2 Cloves
2 Cardamom
1 Star Anise
1 Bayleaf

STEPS TO FOLLOW:

1. Wash and cook rice with salt, a tsp of oil, 1 and ½ cup of water and spices mentioned. Once your rice is cooked, fork it to get separate grains and reserve for later use.
2. Heat oil in a pan, fry cashews and raisins. Keep them aside.
3. In the same pan, add a tbsp of ghee and fry the ingredients mentioned under “To Temper” section until fragrant. Now add onions, green chillies and fry for 2 mins. Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell subsides.
4. Add all the vegetables and masalas. Cook this mixture for 5 mins.
5. Once vegetables shrink in their size, turn your flame to sim and add curd. Ensure it coats all the vegetables and cook for another 3-4 mins.
6. Add 2 tbsps of coriander-Mint leaves and mix. Ensure that your curry consistency is semi dry.
7. Once done. Switch of the flame.

Layering–
– Take a wide sauce pan or a bowl. Spread a layer of rice followed by vegetable layering. Sprinkle fried onions, nuts and chopped mint+coriander leaves mixture. Repeat this process till you are done with rice and masala. On the top layer, add remaining ghee and close the lid.
– Now take dosa pan and add 1/4th cup of water. Let it boil. Once it starts boiling, turn the flame to low and place your bowl containing layered mixture on it. Allow it to cook for 10-15 mins and take care of the water level and add water to the pan if it gets evaporated.
– After 15 mins, switch off the flame. Mix all the ingredients in the bowl. Adjust salt if required and serve hot with simple raita.

Chaitra’s Notes:

• The ingredient list is quite lengthy but the end result is flavorful and tasty veg biryani.
• Adjust the spice levels according to your taste.
• You can even bake your biryani at 140 degrees for 15 mins as an alternative to the dosa pan method.
• Do not skip on any ingredients.
• You can add saffron milk to give nice color to your rice.
• Team it up with simple raita . Any spicy curry will get overboard to handle.