Vegetable Biryani | Low oil, healthy dinner ideas

I am a pure vegetarian and my Husband loves non-veg dishes and specially Biryani is one among his hot favourites on any trip outside. He doesnt get a chance to have his fav. recipes that often for the reason I dont make them at home and he is too lazy to prepare himself. Men, huh!  So, I made this one with the hope of him getting the non-veg taste but the real fight was to lower the quantity of oil since I knew that Biryani involves a generous amount of Oil .. I surfed blogs and tried some of my own things, and tried this very low oil recipe for Veg Biryani.. It turned out to be soooo gud and he couldnt believe that I used only a tsp of oil :)..

Now, I always have known that you really have to cook the biryani with a lot of patience and care since it does take time to get the real flavours out. An authentic vegetable biryani is always slow cooked on dum, which is an age old method of slow cooking on lowest flame. This cooking on dum gives the biryani its uniqueness and originality. It is one of the most likeable, grand, and delectable recipe from India.

Still this quick version is worth a try, considering it has very less amount of fat used and it can be made much quicker than the actual thing.. Am sure you will surprise yourself looking at the results, just give this a go 🙂

Ingredients:

 Basmati Rice – 2 cups
Mixed Vegetables : Carrot, Green Peas, Beans, cauliflower, brocolli ( chopped finely)
2-3 Onions – Thinly sliced vertically
2 Large tomatoes, pureed 
Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Chopped Coriander Leaves – 1/2 cup

Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder – 1 tbsp
Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
Cumin Powder – 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder – 2 tsp
1 tsp black peppercorns ( sabut gol kali mirch)
Milk – 3 tbsps
Cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp ( Elaichi )
Clove – Cinnamon powder – 1/2 tsp ( laung- dalchini powder)
2 tbsp Kasuri Methi

Salt to taste
1 Tbsp oil 
1 Cup low fat yoghurt 

Method:
Mix 1 tsp garam masala , Turmeric powder, 1 tsp salt, cumin powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, tomato purée  and ginger garlic paste with yoghurt . Add all the chopped vegetables and mix well. Vegetables should be well coated. Keep aside for 1-2 hours.

Boil 3 cups of water with milk, cardamom powder, clove-cinnamon powder,  peppercorns. Add Basmati rice and cook till water evaporates and the rice is almost cooked. NOTE  that the rice must not be completely cooked and mushy. It should be separated well. 

Drain the rice in a colander and keep aside. 

Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree, meanwhile we fry the vegetables

Now, heat the oil in a pan and add the marinated vegetables into it. Fry them uncovered on a medium-low flame for around 10 min till they are tender but still crisp. Vegetables should not be mushy. Turn the gas off and keep the vegetables covered for another 5 min. 

Now take an Oven safe dish and layer the rice and vegetables one by one. Make sure the top layer is rice. 

Cover it with Aluminium foil and cook in oven for around 20 minutes. Sprinkle the garam masala over the biryani and Kasuri methi and cover again. Bake for further 20 minutes

Heat a pan and roast thinly sliced onions on a medium flame. If it sticks, sprinkle some water on it till it turns brown and crispy. 

Just before serving, sprinkle chopped cilantro and roasted onion on top

Notes:

You can cook in thin coconut milk instead of water for more intense flavour. Check the seasoning before serving since it will bring some sweetness to the Biryani
You can also add 1/4 cup of roasted coconut along with the ingredients to marinate
Add some butter oil or ghee generously to get rich taste 

Reposting to Revathi’s Cooking with Rice event