Ayush’s Vegetable Biryani – A cheat’s version :- )

I know I have been very lazy and not updated my blog for a while so here it is –  a fantastic vegetarian biryani  - easy, delicious and very fattening :- ). My whole house smells like a wee Indian takeaway!

Apparently, the proper Mugal style Biryani takes hours to cook – so this is my take on it – as I have a life and and I would never spend more than 45 minutes in a kitchen – which included my preparation time and cleaning!

Ingredients

1. 275g basmati rice
2. 40g ghee ( clarifies butter – easily available in major supermarkets in the World food section)
3. 1 large onion, finely sliced
4. 2 garlic cloves, crushed
5. Thumb-size piece of fresh ginger, grated
6. ½ tsp ground turmeric
7. 1 tsp mild chilli powder
8. 1 tsp ground coriander
9. 500g mixed vegetables, prepared and cut into small pieces (I used cauliflower, red pepper, green beans and mushrooms)
10. 6 cardamom pods, cracked
11. 6 cloves
12. Small handful fresh coriander, to garnish

Method

1. Rinse and soak the rice in cold water for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the ghee in a wide, deep flameproof casserole with a tight-fitting lid over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Add the garlic, fresh ginger and ground spices and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in the vegetables and 150ml water, cover and cook gently for 3-4 minutes. Season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper and set aside.
3.  Preheat the oven to 150°C/fan130°C/gas 2. Drain the rice. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the rice and whole spices and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and gently fold into the onion and vegetable mixture in the casserole – don’t over mix as you want some rice to stay white and some to be streaked with turmeric.
4. Place the casserole back over a high heat, cover and cook for 1 minute to build up steam. Transfer to the oven for 15 minutes, until the rice and vegetables are tender.
5. Divide the biryani between bowls, garnish with fresh coriander and serve with some mango chutney and poppadoms.