Veg Dum Biryani

Biryani is a rice based dish of Indian Origin.  Biryani comes in different varieties one of which is the Dum Biryani. It is popular in southern part of India, especially in Hyderabad, where it has its own name, the Hyderabadi Dum Biryani. The speciality here is that rice and gravy are cooked separately before being layered and cooked together.

In this post, we will look into one variety of biryani called Veg Dum Biryani which is a combination of rice (which is most commonly Basmati rice) with several spices and vegetables. The best of the latter for biryani are carrots, beans, potatoes, cauli flower, green peas and sweet corns. Flavour specific vegetables such as capsicum are best avoided here.  Biryani preparation traditionally, is time consuming, but it is worth the effort.  To enhance this recipe, one may even use different dry fruits like fried cashew, almonds and dry grapes.

Preparation Time: 45 mins

Cooking Time: 60 mins
Total time: 105 mins

Servings: 4

 

Ingredients :

For Rice:

Soaked and drained basmati rice: 1.5 cups

Bay leaf (Tejpatta) : 1

Cinnamon (Dalchini/Chekke) – Little

Cloves (Laung): 1

 

Cardamom (Elaichi): 2

Salt to taste

Curds: 1/4^th cup

Chopped coriander leaves: 1/4^th cup

Saffron strands: Few

Ghee: 1 tbsp.

For vegetable gravy:

Chopped and boiled vegetables (Carrot, potato, beans, green peas): 2 cups

Oil: 2 tbsp.

Jeera: ½ tsp

Chopped Onions: 1 cup

Minced ginger and garlic: 2 tsp

Turmeric powder: 1/4th tsp

Chilli powder: 1 tsp

Coriander powder: 2 tsp

Garam Masala: 1 tsp

Chopped tomatoes: 1 cup

Milk: 1/4^th cup

Sugar: Little

Salt to taste

 

Method:

 

For rice:

• Heat 5 glasses of water in a deep bottomed non-stick pan and add bay leaf, cinnamon, clove and cardamom to it. Add rice and salt, slightly stir, close it and let it cook for about 12 minutes in medium flame

• Using a strainer, strain the excess water and keep the cooked rice aside. If you want the rice to be a little grainy, you may even strain the cooked rice using cold water. Since I prefer the rice to be cooked, I have let it to cool on its own.

 

For the vegetable gravy:

• Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add jeera and once it crackles, add chopped onions and sauté in medium flame for few minutes

• To the above, add minced ginger and garlic (or ginger garlic paste), turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and sauté in medium flame for a minute

• Add chopped tomatoes to it and little water. Cook in medium flame for about 5 minutes

• Now add mixed vegetables and salt. Mix well

• Add milk. With occasional stirring cook in medium flame for about 3 minutes

• Finally add little sugar, mix well and cook in medium flame for another 1 minute

For Veg dum biryani :

• Combine curds, coriander leaves and saffron strands in a bowl and mix well

• Add the cooked rice and mix well (mix carefully so that rice doesn’t break)

• Transfer the part of rice to the biryani pot. Over it add a layer of the gravy. Similarly add layers of rice and gravy combination (One can choose the number of layers depending upon the quantity. I have opted for 5 while preparing so that the taste spreads evenly)

• Add ghee over the layered biryani. Cover it with a thin cloth or aluminium foil before putting the lid in place

• Heat a pan / griddle / tawa and place the biryani pot over it (this is done so that the biryani is cooked slowly, in indirect heat. Also, this ensures that the rice at the bottom doesn’t get burnt)

• Heat in low flame for 30 minutes
• Once cooked, serve biryani with raita of your choice or pickle

 

Biryani stories:

Back in our homes, rice based dishes such as pulao, bisi belebhath, vangi bath and puliyogare used to be hot favourite, among one and all. I guess this is the trend across Southern India. If we have any guests at home, my mom used to more often than not prepare one of these rice dishes, in her own signature style. Once I had guests at my place and like most of us do, I checked with my mom for bisi belebath recipe and I religiously followed her instructions and prepared the same. The guests who knew my mom, instantly said “This is your mom’s recipe, isn’t it?”. I always loved my mom’s recipes and dishes, but at the same time, nurtured a wish to have my signature dish and this is one of them, certified by my family and friends. It is Veg Dum Biryani, in Swathi’s style.