HYDERABADI VEGETABLE DUM BIRYANI

 

South vs North Challenge is a concept and brain-child of our sweet friend Divya Pramil of You too can cook Indian Food. Truelly a great going event where she divided this Indian Cuisine in two geographical parts: North Indian Cuisine and South Indian Cuisine. Food-bloggers have been placed in this event on the basis from where they belong to.  A member from North team and a member from South team respectively will challenge the opposite team members with an authentic recipe from their respective zone and opposite team have to publish the same on their space within a month. Wish to join in SNC, no further delay, just mail to divya.pramil@gmail.com

 

This month Swasthi Blank of Indian Healthy Recipes of South team challenged North team Hyderabadi Vegetable Dum Biryani and Kirti Choudhary Kardam of North team challenged South team Chana Dal Halwa/Barfi.

Today I am feeling so happy to complete SNC's 6th challenge. This vegetable dum biryani (Hyderabadi) was amongst such a delectable recipe which I wanted to post from a long time. A delightful and flavorsome biryani rice recipe cooked in Hyderabadi style with full of chopped veggies, and the combination of aromatic spices are really great and unique way to show your culinary skills to your family and guests. This biryani recipe is toothsome, mild and light. The blending of Mughlai and Telengana cuisines in the kitchen of Nizam, historic ruler of the Hyderabad State, resulted in the creation of Hyderabadi Biryani. Caremelized onions and yogurt released a very nice flavor in it. The preparation involves effort and time, but this effort is totally worth it.

INGREDIENTS:
250 ml Thick Plain Yogurt
1 tbsps Ginger-Garlic Paste
1/8 tsp Turmeric powder
1/3 tsp Red Chilli powder
1&1/4 tsp Biryani Masala (I used Shan Bombay Biryani Mix)
4 tbsps Clarified Butter or Oil
Few Strands of Saffron
30 ml Hot Milk (to soak the saffron strands)

FOR COOKING RICE:
1 Cup Aged Basmati Rice
1/4 tsp Shahi Jeera (caraway seeds)
5 Cups Water
1 tsp Oil
Salt to taste

DRY SPICES:
2" Cinnamon Stick
1-2 Black Cardamoms
4 Green Cardamoms
6 Cloves
2 Big Strands of Mace
1 Star Anise (I didn't use it, due to non-availablity in local market)
1/2 tsp Shahi Jeera (caraway seeds)
1 Bay Leaf

NUTS: (AS PER YOUR DESIRE)
15 nos. of Almonds
2 tbsps Raisins
10 nos. of Pistachios
20-25 Cashew Nuts

FRIED ONIONS:
1 Large Onion, cut in thin slices and deep fried till it turns into brown. How we can make more flavorful and perfect fried onions, CHECK HERE.

VEGGIES:
10 Medium sized Cauliflower Florets
2 Medium carrot (chopped)
1 Large Boiled Potato, cut in cubes (peel the skin and boil till 3/4th done)
A Handful of Green Peas
1&1/2 tbsps Finely Chopped Mint Leaves
2 tbsps Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves
2 Green Chillies, cut in slits

METHOD:
1. Heat clarified butter or oil in a pan or wok. Saute dry fruits in it for 2 minutes.

2. Remove from wok and drain on a paper towel, set aside.

3. In the same oil / clarified butter, add cinnamon, black cardamom, green cardamom, cloves, mace, star anise and bay leaf in it. Saute for a minute, till a nice aroma comes out.

4. Add caraway seeds / shah jeera and saute.

5. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for a minute.

6. Add potato pieces and fry for 2 minutes, followed by adding all veggies in it and fry for another 3 minutes.

7. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, biryani masala and salt in it. Fry for a minute.

8. Pour 100 ml yogurt. Fold nicely. Cover and cook for 3 more minutes.

9. Cook uncovered till the moisture in the yogurt evaporates.

10. Add mint leaves, coriander leaves and green chillies in it. Fold nicely. Keep it aside.

11. In a large vessel, bring 5 cups of water to boil. Add oil, caraway seeds (shah jeera) and salt in it.

12. Now add rice in it.

13. Cook rice till it is 70% done. Drain off the excess water and set aside.

14. Soak the saffron strands in 30 ml warm milk. Keep it aside.

DUM PROCESS ON STOVE TOP:

In step 10 we had keep a side pan with veggies, transfer half of it to a dum biryani utensil or pressure pan. Set aside half of the veggies. Add nuts, raisins and fried onions. Pour the half of the leftover yogurt (not to that one that is set aside). Mix well and check the salt level. Begin to heat on a low flame.

Layer half of the rice on it.

Next layer the veggies that was set aside before. Add fried onions in it.

Layer rice again.

Add nuts, mint and coriander leaves.

Begin to heat an heavy bottom tawa and proceed. Pour saffron milk on the top.

Cover the utensil with alluminium foil tightly.

Place the lid and a heavy object on the lid. Move this pan on the hot tawa.

Cook on medium flame on 5 minutes and set the flame to low. Cook this way for 5 more minutes.

DUM PROCESS ON MICROOVEN (CONVECTION METHOD):

Divide the cooked veggies in two parts. Take a microoven safe bowl, add half of the veggies and remaining part of yogurt in it. Micro for 1 minutes.

Add nuts, raisins and fried onions in it. Layer with half portion of rice.

Layer the remaining veggies that was set aside before. Add fried onions.

Layer rice again.

Add nuts, chopped mint and coriander leaves.

Sprinkle saffron milk on the top. Place lid now.

Preheat microoven at 180 C. Place bowl inside oven now and cook for 20 minutes. Switch off the oven and keep it as it inside oven for another 5 minutes.

Delectable vegetable biryani is now ready to serve. Serve hot with any curry and raita.

NOTE: Cooking time and water may vary with each kind of rice. So if you feel that rice is still hard at the end of the process, do add little more water and cook in dum few more minutes on the lowest heat.

Thanks a lot Swasthi for this yummilicious recipe. Every one of my family enjoyed and relished it too much. Thanks Divya for giving me this opportunity.

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