Vegetable Dum Biryani

Servings: 3

Ingredients:

Content	Quantity	Comment
Tomatoes	2 small	Pureed (ground into a smooth paste)
Onions	2 small + 1 big	Sliced
Vegetables (Cauliflower florets, green peas, capsicum, potato, carrots)	½ bowl	Cubed (Keep the size of the cut vegetables a bit big)
Coriander leaves	4-5 tbsp
Raw Rice (basmati)	1 cup
Water	To cook
Salt	To taste
Biryani Masala powder	2-3 tbsp
Oil	3 tbsp + 1 tbsp
Jeera	1 tsp
Cloves	3-4
Elaichi	3-4
Cinnamon	2 (1 inch) piece
Bay leaf	1 big
Black cardamom	2-3
Star anise	1-2
Ginger garlic paste	1 tbsp
Turmeric	¼ tsp
Chilli powder	1 tsp
Curd	3-4 tbsp
Milk	½ cup
Saffron	A generous pinch

Method:

Warm the milk and soak saffron and set it aside. Wash the rice and add 1 ½ cups of water and cook till 80% done. Heat water with some salt and add the cut vegetables and cook till 80% done. Drain and set aside. Heat 1 tbsp of oil and fry 1 big onion sliced till brown and drain on a tissue.

Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a pan. Add the whole garam masala (jeera, cloves, elaichi, cinnamon, bay leaf, black cardamom, star anise). Saute till light brown. Add the remaining onions and fry till translucent. Add ginger garlic paste, turmeric, chilli powder and pureed tomatoes and mix well. Cook till oil starts separating. Add the curd and mix well. Bring it to a boil. Add the biryani masala powder, salt to taste and cooked vegetables. Mix well. Cook till raw smell of masala is gone. Take it off the stove and set it aside.

Grease a heavy bottom pan and spread half the vegetable mixture. Spread half the cooked rice on the vegetables. Repeat the same with remaining vegetables and rice and finally spread the fried onions on the rice. Now pour the saffron soaked in milk evenly over the biryani. Cook covered on medium flame for 10 minutes.

Serve hot with raita, mirch ka salan.