Vegetable Biriyani

Have tried couple of versions and honestly I flunked in all, Below one seem to be better of all. Enjoyed a wholesome meal wlhich tasted really like Biriyani for the first time ;)





Ingredients:-
Basmati Rice - 2 cups
Chopped vegetables - 3 cups (Carrots,Beans,Broccoli,Babycorn,potatoes,peas etc)
Fried Nuts - Per choice
Mint leaves - A Handful
Biriyani Masala - 3 sp
Salt
Ghee / Oil
Curd - 1/2 cup
Grated Ginger - 1 sp
Grated Garlic - 1 sp
Fried onion / Chopped onion - 1 big
Saffron soaked in milk/water for 15-20 mins - a pinch (Opt)

Raw Masala:- (Can add your choice of masalas, I added the below ones)
Biriyani leaf - 3 + 3
Cloves - 3 + 3
Cinnamon stick - 1 + 1
Cardamom - 2 + 2

Wash well and soak the rice for 30 mins.
Shallow fry the onions in ghee/oil and set aside, or can deep fry or can use store bought fried onions.
In 6 cups of water, add half of the Raw Masalas, pinch of salt, Half of mint leaves, 2 spoons of ghee/oil.
Bring it to a nice boil. Add the rice, cover cook (Hardly 5-10 minutes) and immediately drain once rice is 85-90% cooked. Add saffron to it, if available. Set aside.

In 2-3 spoons of ghee/oil, saute the ginger, garlic, raw masalas, onions. Add the chopped vegetables. Once partly cooked, add remaining mint leaves. cover and cook till 75-80 % done.
Add required amount of salt, Biriyani masala. Finally add curd, and give a good mix.

In a wide baking dish, layer the vegetable masala,sprinkle the nuts and then a layer of cooked rice, one on top to form 2-3 layers of each. Cover with foil paper and bake at 350' for about 25-40 minutes.

Remove, give a good mix and serve with raitha.