Thursday, March 26, 2009
I want to tell all hyderabadis a place where u can get perfect vegetable dum biryani . It is in 'santosh dhaba' ( purely vegetarian) , it has 2 branches one in Begum bazar and other in Banjara hills . I ate veg dum biryani in almost all famous restaurants like paradise , bawarchi , seventh heaven , ... etc,. But i never found one like a santosh dhaba biryani . What a flavour , aroma and superrrrr taste . When i was in chennai whenever i visit my parents its my condition to take me to that restaurant atleast once in my visit . If u are a hyderabadi and a pure vegetarian then u must go there for all vegge yummy dishes . There they serve biryani in bowls in layers of curry and rice . Anyway now we will see my version of making Vegetable dum biryani. Hope u like it.
Preparation :-
- Soak 2 electric rice cooker cups /250 gms of basmathi rice in sufficient water for 45 mins .
- In mean time chop 1 big onion , 4 green chillies , 1 potato , 10 french beans , 1 carrot , few cauliflower florets , 1 tomato . Chop all into big chunks.
- Take half handful of pudina leaves ,wash them and chop them .
Biryani Masala :-
- Heat a pan dry fry 5-6 cashews , 1/2tspn fennel seeds(saunf) , 3 cloves , 3 cardamoms , 1" cinnamon stick , 1 tspn poppy seeds . Grind these to a fine powder .
- In second round , in same mixcy container add 3 green chillies , 5 strigs of coriander leaves , 3 tbspns of fresh/frozen coconut , 1 big garlic pod , equivalent ginger piece. Grind these all into a fine paste . Donot add water while grinding.
Cooking Rice :-
- Take a big vessel and fill it with water , bring it to boil , while boiling add 2 tspns of salt , 1 tspn of oil , 2 lightly crushed cardamoms , 2 cloves , 1" cinnamon stick , 1/4 tspn shajeera , 5 pudina leaves . Once water is boiling nicely add soaked and drained rice. Cook rice till 90% . After rice is cooked Strain rice . After 5 mins add 1 tspn ghee on rice and fluff the rice carefully with a fork.
Curry preparation :-
- Heat a wide pan , add 2 tbspns oil , add whole garam masala ( 1/4 tspn shajeera , 3 cloves , 3 lightly crushed cardamoms , cinnamon stick , 2 star anise , mace , 2 bay leaves , 2 anasa puvvu.
- Next add chopped green chillies ( 3) , pudina leaves , add sliced onions. Add pinch of salt & 1/4 tspn turmeric and brown onions . Next add 1/4 tspn ginger garlic paste .
- Now add all vegetables ( potato , beans , carrot , cauliflower , frozen peas) except tomato . Add 1 tspn salt , mix all nicely and fry vegetables till they are 90% done (while frying veggies put lid ) . For checking take a potato piece and pierce it with a spoon , if it cuts easily then u can know that veggies are cooked .
- Now add 1/4 tspn garam masala powder , 1 tspn coriander powder , 1/4 tspn cumin powder, mix nicely and add grinded biryani masala paste . Mix nicely and fry for 5 mins .
- Next add 1 cup of thick curd and tomato pieces. Mix nicely and fry for 5 mins . Switch off the stove and add 2 tspns lemon juice , mix it well and put a lid . With this ur curry is completed.
Layering :-
- Take a oven safe pan or aluminium tray , spray oil allover . Spread curry nicely , sprinkle fried onions on top.
- Now as second layer spread cooked rice uniformly.
- On top of it add 2 tspns lemon juice all over , sprinkle fried onions , finely chopped coriander and mint leaves , sprinkle 1 tbspn oil allover the rice , now sprinkle food colour mixed water ( u can use multi colours or a single colour) .
- Now seal the pan tightly with aluminium foil .
- Bake this in preheated oven @ 400 degree F for 30 mins . After that switchoff oven and after a standby of 5 mins u can open the seal and serve hot with raitha or salan . (Best way to know whether biryani is baked perfectly or not is by looking at fried onions , coriander and mint leaves . They should turn dark )
Note :-
- After opening seal u can serve without mixing it . if u do like this u get curry in down layer and rice on top layer.
- If u are making biryani in large quantity then put rice as first layer , on top add curry , on top add again rice , next curry , finally spread rice . on top sprinkle coriander leaves , pudina leaves , oil , fried onions and food colour. Seal it and bake it . when u are baking large quantity bake @ 400F for 40 mins .
Looks fabulous. Happy Ugadi! Enjoy.
with cheers,
preethi.
with cheers,
preethi.
Excellent recipe. Never tried vege biriyani and also in an oven. Yours look too good and saw the kachi biriyani too well explained. Ugadi baga jarupukunnara.........message pedadamu anukunna kani busy that day ma friends vacharu so cooking, baga enjoy chesamu.
cheers
rajani
happy to hear that u enjoyed ugadi with ur frds and family. On that day i just prepared ugadi pachadi , pulihora , rava kesari . So meeru emi chesaru?
defnetley try this vegetable biryani . This is an excellent recipe in vegetarian .
with cheers,
preethi.
Nenu ayite Pulihora, Pesara pappu payasam, Badam payasam, Pesara pappu vada, Bendakaya vepudu, Rasam, Kandi podi and Nuvvu podi..........ante no ugadi pachadi :-(
Na blog lo photos pedadamu ante ma friend valla camero lo vunnayi photos. I am waiting for my photos........
Ya definately should try that anni Biriyani lu chesa kani no vege.
cheers
rajani
nice recipe.. Actually, okka chinni question... party for 50 ki biryani cheyyali ante approximately quantity entha theeskovalo cheppa galguthara??? First time try chesthunnanu.. so, andukani..
Thanks a ton,
priya
-Cheers,
Preethi.
With cheers
Rajani
ur blog is too good. I wanna try this recipe, but i ve a doubt.Is it safe to use aluminium foil in the conventional oven?
Regards,
Prathima
-Regards,
Preethi
Thanks a lot for the quick response.Can we keep this dish uncovered in the oven and cook?
Regards,
Prathima
Regards,
preethi
Today i tried your vdg dum biryani recipe.Biryani came awesome.
Thank you
U just rock with your recipe and the measurements.I live in San Jose,US and here Peocock restaurant Veg biryani is considered the best.But after trying your recipe ,the biryani came sooooooooooooooooooooo well and much much more better than the best in San Jose...This is the third consecutive week end we are cooking biryani at our home...
Thank You,
Swathi and Chandana
Do you have an alternative recipe to prepare this biryani in India?I want to tell this to my parents ...but they don't have an Oven...
Regards,
Swathi
-Cheers,
Preethi.
1) Yes the masala paste will be like wet /dry consistency. We are not adding water in it but as we are grinding ingredients like coconut , garlic , ginger ,coriander leaves it will be like a dry paste.Dont worry abt it .
2)Yes i didnot add any water while preparing curry . I used a nonstick pan , i cook covered (putting lid veggies cook with the vapor created inside so u dont need to add water ) .
3)If u add thick curd then it will come like my curry consistency . after adding curd i cook for couple of minutes and switch off stove.
4)After taking out from oven give a good mix and then serve . Then u will not feel it is watery because now all the rice grains absorbs the gravy. When we layer curry and rice only the part of rice above curry absorbs the gravy of curry .So mixing will uniform it.
5)Here is the recipe of salan / sherva
http://myworldofrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/06/veg-shorva-sherva.html
Hope i cleared ur doubts.
Cheers,
Preethi
Ur Briyani luks yummy...1 clarification pls... U used the same cup for measuring rice & curd? That is 2:1 ratio on same cup? pls let me know....
-Preethi
Srividya.
Regards,
Lavern
You really nailed the recipe, I tried it this weekend with some improvisation and the result was magic. Everyone loved it..
I did not hv poppy seeds and coconut, added a tablespoon of water in the dry paste and some mustard seess.. it added some zing
Also, gave it dum in the handi instead of oven..