I was trying to loose weight….

I saw Biryani….

Biryani saw me….

Biryani disappeared! -Ayaz Khan

Who does not like Biryani? We love Biryani and I make it for Sunday lunch at least once a month if not twice. I love trying out different ways and methods to make biryani- whatever the end result may be, it’s heaven on a plate at the end of it all. After CAKES, my next biggest collection of recipes is BIRYANI.

Papad, raita, a mint chutney, sweet and sour brinjal and of course a boiled egg- these are just a few of the very basic accompaniments for a good plate of biryani.

This time it’s a mushroom biryani with a little bit of corn thrown in. This is one of my favourite recipes for a vegetarian biryani, the flavour and aroma is awesome and it always come out so well. Everything just fits in so well together- the spice, the chilly, it’s light and above all it’s so tasty. Once you have all the ingredients ready, it’s simple and easy.

So here goes another of my favourites:

Ingredients:

• Mushroom-2 packets ( cleaned and cut lengthwise) 400grams
• Corn kernels – 100gms
• Onions sliced -3
• Tomato sliced -2

Paste 1

• Ginger- garlic paste -2 tbsp
• Green chillies-5

Paste 2

• Saunf – 2 tbsp
• Cashewnuts – 10-12

To chop:

• Mint and coriander leaves – 3 tbsp each
• Garam masala -1 tsp

For the Rice:

• Basmati rice -2 cups
• Cloves, cinnamon, cardamom – 4 each
• Ginger- garlic- greenchilli paste -2 tbsp
• Tomato- 1 big sliced
• Onion-2 big sliced
• Hot water – 4 cups
• Ghee

Method:

• Boil the mushrooms in a little salted water and drain.
• In a little ghee, fry the sliced onions till golden brown.
• Add the pastes and fry for a couple of minutes till the raw smell disappears.
• Add the sliced tomato, mint and coriander leaves, garam masala, the corn kernels, salt and the cooked mushrooms. Stir well. Cover and cook on a medium flame for 5-10 minutes.
• Remove and keep aside.

For the Rice:

• Clean,wash and soak rice for 20 minutes. Drain.
• In a little ghee, add the whole spices and fry till fragrant.
• Add the sliced onion and fry till colour changes.
• Add the ginger- garlic- green chilli paste and fry for a couple of minutes.
• Add the sliced tomato and blend well .
• Add 4 cups of boiling water along with salt and stir.
• Once the water begins to boil, add the rice and mix gently.
• When the water is nearly absorbed by the rice, switch off the flame and keep it covered for 10-15 minutes.
• In an ovenproof/nonstickdish, spread a little ghee at the bottom and layer the rice and mushroom mixture alternately, starting and ending with rice .
• It could vary from 2 to 3 layers.
• In between the layers sprinkle some minced coriander and mint leaves and saffron dissolved in hot milk.( optional)
• Place the dish in an oven at 180 deg.c for 15-20 minutes or you could even place the nonstick dish on top of a griddle pan for a couple of minutes.
• Sprinkle with chopped mint and coriander leaves and serve with a raita of your choice.

Chefs tips:

• For a good Biryani, always use good quality Basmati rice, wash the rice a couple of times and soak the rice for the time mentioned above.
• Do not handle the rice too often, stir gently or the long rice grains could break or split.
• The corn kernels are partially cooked so they do not have to be boiled separately.
• I always use a mixture of ghee and oil to make Biryani.
• Instead of mushroom and corn, you can take mixed vegetables, ( broccoli,cauliflower, carrots, peas etc) but stick to the same weight, that is 500 grams.
• This serves 4-6.

Till my next post,

Cheers

Rose