Vegetable Biryani
Ingredients
For the Chutney
- 1 cup chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves
- 1 tbsp grated fresh coconut
- 1 green chilli
- 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- ½” pc cinnamon
- 2 cloves
For the Rice
- 1 cup brown or red rice, soaked for 8-10 hours
- 1 tsp whole spices (cinnamon, cloves, black pepper)
- 1 bay leaf (tej patha)
- ½ tsp unrefined salt
- 2 cups chopped mixed vegetables
- 200 g steamed and pureed tomato
- ¼ fresh coconut, grated
For Tempering
- 1 tsp cumin (jeera) seeds
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
Method
For the Chutney
In a blender, grind all the chutney ingredients together to make a paste.
For the Rice
Wash and cook the rice with whole spices and salt. Steam the vegetables.
Grind the tomatoes and grated coconut together, to make a paste. Once the rice is cooked, mix in the tomato-coconut paste. In a pan, sauté some cumin seeds. Add red chilli powder, green chutney and the steamed vegetables and mix well. In a bowl, layer the rice and vegetables in alternate layers and bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for 10 minutes. If you wish, you may add a sprinkling of ready biryani masala (although it is best without), to add flavour.
Serves 5-6