1 POT VEGETABLE BIRIYANI – Pressure Cooker Version

POT BIRIYANI

 { Preparation & Cooking Time : 1 hour }
        Difficulty : Average
        Meal type : Vegetarian
             Serves : 2
           Cuisines : India  

   Ingredients
• 1.5 cups - Basmati rice or Normal rice
• Carrot – 2 small, diced (Try to use fresh veggies for this biriyani) 
   Green beans – 1/2 cup, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
   Fresh / frozen green peas – 1/4 cup
   Bell pepper, green and red – 1/4 cup, diced (optional)
• Ghee / Oil – 1.5 tbsp
• Whole spices – Cardamom – 2, whole pepper corns – 4, 
   cinnamon stick – 1/2 inch, cloves – 5
• 2 Tablespoons - Cashews
• Onion – 1/2 medium thinly sliced and halved,
    Ginger-garlic paste – 1.5 teaspoon
• Mint leaves – 20 – 25 or 1/4  cup
    Cilantro – 1/4 cup , Green chilies – 2, halved
    Lemon juice – 1/2 teaspoon
• 1/2 – 3/4 teaspoon - Garam masala powder – 1/2 – 3/4 tsp
• 2 cups - Hot water.
• 1/2 cup - Coconut milk.
• Salt  To taste.

   Preparation Method
1. Soak basmati rice for 20 minutes in enough water. Drain and set aside.
2. Grind mint leaves, cilantro, green chilies and lemon juice to a coarse mixture.
3. Now heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pressure cooker (I used a 5 litre pressure cooker). Add whole spices and stir until fragrant. Add cashews and stir until golden. Next add sliced onion and ginger-garlic paste. Saute until onion turns transparent and raw smell of ginger-garlic paste is gone. Add ground cilantro-mint-green chilly mixture. Saute for 1 minute. Add garam masala powder, carrot, beans and salt. Saute for a minute. Next add bell peppers and green peas and saute for a minute.
4. Add drained basmati rice. Mix well and stir everything for another minute. Add hot water and coconut milk. Mix well. Adjust salt. Close the pressure-cooker with its lid. Cook at medium heat until steam starts coming out. Place the weight on top and bring down the heat to medium-low. Cook for 5 minutes. Switch off. Open the pressure-cooker when pressure releases or after 10 – 15 minutes. Biriyani will be perfectly done. Fluff rice with a fork, mix everything carefully and transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with fried onion, raisins, chopped mint and cilantro etc. 
Enjoy it with raita, pickle and pappad.

     ENJOY