Method
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 500g Tilda Grand Basmati or Tilda Pure Basmati
- 2 medium onions
- 2 medium carrots (cut in 1/2-inch pieces)
- 15 French beans (cut in 1/2-inch pieces)
- 10-12 cauliflower florets
- 1 cup green peas
- Salt to taste
- 8 green cardamon pods
- 1 black cardamom pod
- 8 cloves
- 1/2-inch stick of cinnamon
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp caraway seeds (shahi jeera)
- 1 1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tbsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp red chilli powder
- 1 tbsp cilantro powder
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 1 cup fresh tomato puree
- 1 tsp garam masala powder
- 2 tbsp cilantro leaves chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves chopped
- 1 tsp rose water (optional)
- 1 large pinch of saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp hot water
- Handful of cashews
- Handful of sliced pistachio
How to make Vegetable Biryani
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Rinse the basmati rice in at least three changes of water to wash out the starch and leave to soak in a bowl of cold water on one side for 30 mins.
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Next, chop the onions in half, peel, slice into fine rings and dry them off in a tablespoon of oil until golden brown and then set aside.
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Heat a non-stick pan. Add the remaining green cardamom, cloves, black cardamom and cinnamon along with bay leaf and caraway seeds and roast. Add onions, carrot, French beans, cauliflower florets and green peas.
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Sprinkle salt, cover and cook on medium heat for two minutes. Add ginger-garlic paste mixed with a little water and stir. Cover and cook for two minutes. Add powdered turmeric, red chilli powder and powdered coriander and cook. Whisk yogurt with rose water and saffron. Add a little water or milk and whisk well. Add tomato puree to the vegetables along with half teaspoon Garam masala powder and mix well. Simmer for two minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 180C/350F
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Meanwhile, in a separate pan you need to cook the rice and prepare the fried onions for layering. Drain the rice and transfer to a saucepan. Pour enough cold water over the rice so that it is covered by 2cm, and bring to the boil. Boil for 8 minutes, until it’s just cooked but still has a bite. Drain and set aside.
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Take an ovenproof pot which will snugly accommodate the rice and veg curry, such as a casserole dish. Remove half of the veg from the veg curry using a slotted spoon (to leave the sauce behind) and place it at the bottom of the pot. Add a little of chopped mint and cilantro at each layer. Top the veg with half of the rice and half of the onions and repeat with the rest of the veg, rice and onions. Keep the sauce of the curry aside to serve with the biryani. Bake the biryani for 20 mins.
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Sprinkle the rice with the rose water, saffron, Toasted cashews and sliced pistachio.
