Vegetarian Biryani

Submitted by NorthwestGal

"This recipe is from the cooking.com website. It's a vegetarian version of the classic Indian main dish that features basmati rice, potato, carrots and peas and plenty of aromatic and flavorful Indian spices. It's also popular in Pakistan. As a main dish, it serves 4; but as a side dish it can serve 6-8 people."

 

• Ready In: 35mins
• Ingredients: 21
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• For Rice

• 1 1⁄2 cups basmati rice, rinsed
• 3 cups water
• 1 pinch salt

• For Vegetables

• 1 tablespoon ghee or 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1⁄2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1⁄8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 baking potato, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 1/2 pound)
• 2 carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 cups water
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen peas, defrosted
• 1⁄4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 jalapeno chile, seeds and ribs removed, minced
• 1 tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1⁄2 cup cilantro leaf

directions

1. Bring water and salt to a boil. Stir in the rice and boil until rice has absorbed all (or most of) the water, about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the rice (if needed) and return rice to the pot, and cover to keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, melt the ghee (or butter) with the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the cumin, turmeric, curry powder, and cayenne and cook, stirring, for 1 minute longer. Add the potato, carrots, water, and salt. Increase the heat to moderately high and simmer until the vegetables are tender and no liquid remains in the pan, about 10 minutes.
3. To serve, stir the peas into the other vegetables and remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the yogurt and rice and serve topped with the jalapeno, tomato, and cilantro.

Reviews

[DailyInspiration]

This is a great vegetarian meal -- really nice and not too spicy. We loved the combination of the peas, carrots and potatoes along with the rice. I did add some tomato puree along with the fresh tomato, but otherwise made as directed. All you really need is some Naan bread or a nice salad if you prefer. Made for ZWT-8-Indian Tiffin Challenge.

 

[Starrynews]

This is a great dish with a nice kick. All of the veggies were a great touch, adding a lot of nice colors and flavors. Thanks for sharing! ZWT8

 

[Studentchef]

I really love this rice recipe. I thought it would be heavy, because of the potato mixed in, but it wasn't. And this a bit on the spicy side, but I kind of liked it that way. I thought the spicyness was fitting was for this kind of recipe.