HOW TO MAKE VEG DUM BIRIYANI?
VEG DUM BIRIYANI- A MIXED VEGETABLE LAYERED BIRIYANI RECIPE
Vegetable Dum Biriyani is the closest a vegetarian can get to eating a good biriyani. Before we begin this beautiful process of making biriyani, let s all talk about Dum. Cooking something on slow flame for a long while, all the while subjecting the dish to heavy weight can be called as dum cooking.
The techniques of dum cooking have evolved and changed according to the availability of time, resources and energy levels of the person making the biriyani. So that s Dum for you. I made this veg dum biriyani last weekend for my cousin.
Making veg dum biriyani can be broken down in to a few easy steps-
Marinate the veggies- Wash and chop all veggies in to equal sizes. Bite size works best. In a bowl, add thick fresh yogurt, 1.5 tsp each of coriander powder,red chili powder, garam masala and turmeric powder. Add salt. Mix well using a whisk. Add the veggies to this and mix well ensuring that the mixture coats all veggies. Let this rest for about an hour.
Saffron milk- Heat the milk in a pan. Add a few strands of saffron to this. Switch off flame. Set aside.
Cooking the rice- Wash good quality Basmati rice under running water till water runs clear. Now soak this in about 4 to 5 c of water for a good 20 mins. Once done, drain and place in a pan along with 6 to 8 c of water, a bay leaf, cloves, cardamom, a few strands of saffron and shah jeera. Add enough salt. And cook the rice till it is 80% done. The rice should be tender and yet must have a crunch. At this stage, remove from fire and drain the rice thoroughly. Cover and set aside.
Frying the onions- While the rice cooks, heat a pan with oil. Add the sliced onions and fry them till golden brown. Drain and set aside.
Frying the nuts and raisins- Heat a pan with ghee and add broken cashews and fry till golden. Drain and add the raisins to the same pan. Fry till the raisins plump up. Drain and set aside.
Prepping the herbs- chop coriander leaves and mint leaves finely. Set aside
Cooking the veggies- Make a paste of ginger and garlic using a mortar and pestle. Heat a pan with ghee. Add the whole spices and the ground ginger and garlic paste. Saute for 2 mins on low flame. Now add the onions and fry till pink and soft. Once done, add the marinated veggies along with salt. Cook till the veggies are half cooked. Once done, remove from flame.
Assembling the biriyani- When you have all the components ready, it s time to assemble the biriyani and cook it. Grease a 3 liter Pressure cooker with ghee. Add 1/2 of the vegetable mixture. This is the first and the bottom most layer. Now add 1/2 the rice and spread it evenly over the vegetable layer. Next add 1/3 the fried nuts and raisins. Top with 1/3 of the fried onions. Finally add 1/3 of the chopped herbs. Now repeat the same with the remaining vegetables, rice and other components.
Cooking in Dum- Once done, cover the top with a aluminum foil. I ran out of foil and so used a parchment paper sheet. Close the cooker with the lid but do not use the gasket. Heat a thick heavy tawa ( Preferably cast iron).Place the cooker on the tawa, reduce the flame to lowest. Now, place the heaviest object you can find in your kitchen on the cooker. Let this cook, undisturbed for 20 to 25 mins.
Final touches- Once the biriyani is done, open and add the remaining onions, nuts,raisins and herbs. Mix gently with a wooden ladle. Serve with raita.
If you are looking for more rice recipes then check out TN style vegetable biriyani, Bengali vegetable pulao and paneer fried rice.
Recipe For Veg Dum Biriyani
Veg Dum Biriyani
Ingredients
- Onions 2 chopped finely
- Ginger 1/2 inch piece chopped finely
- Garlic cloves 4 chopped roughly
- Garam masala or biriyani masala 1 tsp
- Whole spices-
- Mace flower 1
- Cinnamon stick 1/2 inch piece
- Cloves 2
- Cardamom 2
- Bay leaf 1
- Saffron strands a few
- For the marinade-
- Mixed vegetables 1 c Broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, beans and green peas washed and chopped into pieces
- Thick fresh yogurt 1/2 c
- Coriander powder 1 tsp
- Red chili powder 1 tsp
- Garam masala 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder 1 tsp
- Salt to taste
- For the rice-
- Basmati rice 1.5 c
- Water 6 c
- Bay leaf 1
- Cardamom 1
- Shahjeera 1/2 tsp
- Saffron strands a few
- For the fried onions-
- Onions 4 sliced thinly
- Oil for deep frying
- For Garnish-
- Cashews 10-15 broken
- Raisins a handful
- Ghee 1 tbsp
- Other ingredients-
- Coriander leaves 1/2 c chopped finely
- Mint leaves 1/2 c chopped finely
- Oil/ghee 2 tbsp
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Whisk yogurt in a bowl and add spice powders mentioned under the marinade list. Add salt and mix well.
- Add the chopped veggies and mix well.
- Let it rest for an hour.
- In the meanwhile, wash the rice thoroughly till water runs clear.
- Soak this for 20 mins.
- Place the rice and 6 c water along with a bay leaf, cardamom, a few strands of saffron , shahjeera and salt in a big wide bowl.
- Cook the rice till 80% done. The rice must have a slight crunch to it.
- Drain the rice and set aside.
- Grind the garlic and ginger in a mortar and pestle until it resembles a paste.
- Heat a pan with oil for deep frying the onions.
- Add the sliced onions and fry till golden.
- By now, the veggies would be ready.
- Heat the same pan in which you cooked the rice.
- Add a tbsp ghee and once hot, fry the cashews and raisins till cashews are golden and raisins are plump. Drain and set aside.
- In the same pan, add remaining ghee and once hot, add the mace flower,cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf and star anise.
- Once the spices begin to brown, add the ginger garlic paste.
- Saute till the raw smell goes away.
- Now add finely chopped onions and fry till pink and soft.
- Now add garam masala or biriyani masala.
- Saute for 20 secs.
- Add the marianted veggies mixture and mix well.
- Cook till veggies just become tender.
- Remove from flame.
- Now, grease a 3 liter small pc with ghee.
- Layer 1/2 the veggies mixture evenly.
- Now add 1/2 the cooked rice and layer evenly.
- Next add 1/3 of the nuts and raisins.
- The next layer will 1/3 of the chopped mint and coriander.
- Pour 1/2 the saffron milk mixture evenly over this.
- Now repeat with the remaining ingredients.
- Once done, place a thick bottomed tawa on flame and heat.
- Place a aluminum foil over the top of the Pressure cooker and cover it with the lid without the gasket.
- Place the cooker on the tawa.
- Now place a heavy object on the cooker and cook on medium flame for 20 mins.
- Once done, remove and gently mix using a wooden ladle.
- Serve with raita.
For Instant Pot & Air Fryer Recipes
Instant Pot timings may vary based on your geographic location. Air fryer settings and timings may vary based on the capacity and the model of the Air fryer.
Disclaimer
Nutrition values are provided here as a courtesy and are only a rough guide. Please consult a health care provider if you have any concerns.
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