Vegetarian (Lentil) Biryani

Biryani is typically cooked with lamb or chicken but since I do my best to limit meat, I came up with a vegetarian version which is equally delicious and great to serve your guests who are vegetarian. I rarely cook meals with a long list of ingredients but this one’s worth it for special occasions like EID.

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Recipe

FOR RICE:

• 1.5 Cup Long Grain Basmati Rice

• Salt

• 4 Cups Water

• 1 Star Anise

• 1 Cinnamon Stick

• 2 Green Cardamom 

VEGGiES GRAVY:

• 2 Tablespoon Ghee/ Butter

• 1/2 Cup Thick Yogurt / Dahi

• 1 Cup Onions, diced finely

• 2 Green Chilies

• 1.5 Tablespoon Ginger-Garlic Paste

• 3/4 Cup Tomatoes, chopped

• 1.5 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds

• 1 Tsp Red Chili Powder

• 1 Tsp Coriander Powder

• 1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder

• 1/2 Tsp Garam Masala Powder

• 1 Star Anise

• 2 Cinnamon Stick

• 1 Bay Leaf

• 5-6 Green Cardamom

• 4-5 Cloves

• 15 oz x 1 Canned Lentils

• 1 cup frozen vegetables (corn pea carrot mix)

• 1 Tablespoon Coriander Leaves, Roughly Chopped

• 1 Tablespoon Mint Leaves, Roughly Chopped 

• Salt To Taste

• 2 Tbsp Fried Onions

METHOD

For Saffron milk:
Soak 20 saffron strands 1/4 cup warm milk for 30 mins. Keep it aside.

For Rice:

1. Wash and soak rice for about 30 minutes.

2. In a large pot, add water, rice, salt, star anise, cardamom, and cinnamon stick.

3. Let it cook until rice is 70% cooked. Drain and keep it aside
   

For Veg gravy:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a non-stick pan.

2. Add star anise, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, green cardamom, cloves and the rest of the spices ( except garam masala) and sauté the spices for a few seconds or until fragrant.

3. Add sliced onions and sauté for 3-5 minutes until they are light golden in colour.

4. Now add ginger-garlic paste and sauté over medium heat for 2 mins.

5. Add 1 cup chopped tomatoes and cook till they turn mushy.

6. Add frozen veggies and lentils and cook covered on medium-low heat for about 5-7 minutes

7. Add yogurt. Mix well and let it cook for 3 minutes.

8. Add 1/2 tsp garam masala powder. Mix well and cook for another minute.

9. Remove from heat and set aside. 

Assembly:

• Layer 1: Take 1/2 of the cooked veggies masala and spread it in a pot 

• Layer 2: Now take 1/2 of the cooked rice and spread over rice to form layer 2. Drizzle with 4 tablespoons of saffron milk over it. Sprinkle 1 tsp mint leaves, 1 tsp coriander leaves, and 1 tbsp fried onions over it.

• Layer 3: Take the rest of the cooked veggies and spread it over rice to form layer 3. Drizzle with 4 tablespoons of saffron milk over it. Sprinkle 1 tsp mint leaves, 1 tsp coriander leaves over it.

• Layer 4: Take the rest of the cooked rice and spread it well to form your last layer. Drizzle with 4 tablespoons of saffron milk over the rice. 
  Sprinkle 1 tsp mint leaves, 1 tsp coriander leaves, and 1 tbsp fried onions over it. 
  
  Cooking Biryani:
  Seal the rice and gravy filled the pot with aluminum foil and cover tightly with the lid. Cook it on low heat for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Unwrap and serve biryani hot with raita and chutney.

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