Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Vegetable Biryani (Tawa method)

Nearly an year before , I posted a recipe for layered vegetable biryani. After that many times I have made this simple version of vegetable biryani and publishing it now.
Here I should say, my mom had an extraordinary passion for cooking and our lunch boxes would tell it by the variety and flavor. Vegetable biryani would accompany us to school as a surprise lunch to triumph her hug whenever she wanted to convey a congrats or best wishes or a smile. Sweet memories again:)

Mom's method employs a pressure cooker. But I have never achieved a perfect one through pressure cooker...sometimes they get mushy too. So I prefer a tawa method, that is placing the briyani over a hot girdle and slow cooking it.



Vegetables:
Cauli flower - 1/4 flower (chopped 1 cup) , green beans - 10 , carrot -1 , green peas - 1/2 cup .

Ingredients:
Basmathi rice / Jeeraga samba raw rice - 3 cups
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red onion - 2 (medium size)
green chillis - 5 (uncut).
Lemon - 1
ghee - 2 tbsp (to add at the end)

To temper:
Fennel - 1 tsp
bay leaves - 2
star aniseed - 1,
cinnamom stick - 2 inch
cardamom - 2
cloves - 4
ghee - 1 tbsp
Any cooking oil - 3 tbsp
cashew nuts -10
raisins- 10.
salt - to taste

Masala 1:
Tomato - 4

Masala 2:
cilantro- 10 stems
mint leaf -1 handful.
green chilly - 10
black pepper - 1 tbsp
cumin - 1/2 tsp

Masala 3:
Ginger - 2 inch
Garlic - 5 cloves

Preparation:
wash and clean the vegetables. peel the skin of carrot and cut into long thin slices.
Cut the green beans in to long pieces.
Pluck 5 -6 florets from the cauliflower.
Defreeze the green peas.

Wash the rice and soak it for 1/2 an hour.

Grind all the pastes separately.

Chop onion and keep aside.

Method:

Heat 2 tbsp oil + 1 tbsp ghee in a  broad vessel.
Add fennel ,star aniseed , cinnamon stick,cardamom ,cloves, bay leaf , cashew, raisin.

Then goes the chopped onion .

Fry it till golden brown and add the ginger garlic paste and stir well till the raw smell goes.

Now add the tomato paste and cook till the oil oozes out of it. Add all the powders given.

Then add the cilantro , mint paste and cook till the oil start oozing out. Now put the vegetables and add salt. Just stir well. Don't cook them now.

Now add the soaked rice and uncut green chillies. Squeeze some lime juice over.

Pour water to immerse the rice and let the water stand 1 inch above rice.

Mix well now and check for salt in this stage.Let it come to a boil.

Close with a tight lid and place this vessel over a hot dosa tawa (girdle / flat pan) . Reduce the flame to minimum.

After 20 minutes the biryani will be ready!

Serving suggestions:

Garnish with 2 tbsp ghee , chopped cilantro , mint leaves.
Serve vegetable biryani hot with onion raitha .
Serves 6 people.

Note:

Instead of tawa , we can pressure cook it for 1 whistle also. But if we want the grains to be non sticky then follow the tawa method.

Click here to see my Layered vegetable biryani.

34 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow!!! Yummy! i do something similar too. Though, I must admit,I haven't made it for a while now...you've just given me the inspiration :-)

VineelaSiva said...

Yummy biryani makes me hungry dear.

Sailaja Damodaran said...

Nice way to give a DUM for the rice...yummy

chow and chatter said...

oh wow looks great I used like to get it from saravabhran can't spell for train rides lol

prasu said...

lovely tawa biryani dear...like the idea of cooking in tawa...next time sure will try.

Sarah Naveen said...

Wow!!! yummy yummy Biryani...

Sushma Mallya said...

sounds very delicious viki..nice recipe...

Nandinis food said...

Veg. Biryani looks delicious! Yesterday for our lunch I prepared veg. biryani. what a coincidence! So SAME PINCH !

Tina said...

Veg biriyani sounds great....Really delicious.

gtyuk said...

I'm exactly the opposite (whenever I do the layered briyani, I mess it up) but the pressure cooker or rice cooker method works well for me :)

my husband does briyanis only with the tawa method ( their family method); your briyani looks good, you've got it perfect!

Sandhya Hariharan said...

Awesome... U make them sound really easy !!!

Priya Suresh said...

It has been ages i have prepared tawa briyani..looks delicious!!

Shanthi Krishnakumar said...

Nice post. I am too comfortable with pressure cooker method. Will try this also.

Shama Nagarajan said...

yummy delicious biriyani...looks perfect

Malar Gandhi said...

Looks wonderful, perfect for lunch...layered version for veg-biriyani sounds trendy:)

Yasmeen said...

Tawa method must be more flavor with all the slow cooking :D

Gita Jaishankar said...

Mouth-watering click dear...even I too make briyani this way...turns out fluffy every time :)

Rina said...

Veg Biriyani looks so delicious..Viki..thanx for this version

Aruna Manikandan said...

Hi Viki,

Briyani looks yummy!!!!!!!!

Kindly pick up the award from my blog dear

with luv,
ArunaManikandan

Unknown said...

Biryani for lunchbox is a real treat! Looks yummy!

Vikis Kitchen said...

Dear friends, Thank you all:)
Aruna: A special thanks for that award dear.
Vino: Thats' excellent to hear about that perfect pressure cooker biryani. wish I should learn it soon. Love that quick biryani very much da.
Chow: Thats Saravanbhavan dear.Its true they do everything with perfection. I am also a big fan of Saravanabhavan and that founder belong to my native:)

Soma Pradhan said...

Lovely Biryani...I m feeling so hungry seeing this now

Anu said...

Briyani looks yummy and delicious dear... I do similar too.....

Unknown said...

good one..looks delicious..

Padhu Sankar said...

Wow !Nice mouth watering Biriyani

Parita said...

Lovely click..now I am starving!

Cool Lassi(e) said...

Viki,
Biryani looks delish. Thanks for stopping by and for your nice comments.

my kitchen said...

Biryani looks tempting,ur way of preparation is good

Lavanya Siva said...

I am always a great fan of Biriyanis. This tawa method really tempt me to cook ,,,,hmmmmmm yummy

Usha said...

Tawa biryani looks absolutely delicious, loved the flavors !

Anupama said...

Very different yet yummy looking biriyani Viki :-)

A gupta said...

Hi Viki,

Great blog ! You are my favorite !i am a regular visitor.
Pls let me know what all powders are needed for making this biriyani.I did find a line in the receipe but didnt find it in ingredients section.

Thanks

Rajan said...

Hey seems to be yummy!.

Interested in mixed millet flour kindly visit Mixed Millet.

Rajan said...

Hey seems to be yummy!.

Interested in mixed millet flour kindly visit Mixed Millet.

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