Mix veg Biryani/ How to make mix veg Briyani

As i have written in my bio that cooking became passion after having my twin babies, it was because of their demand for food that i thought instead of buying and giving them, why cant i make it for them..so still learning and cooking…Theres no age for learning right!!!

So, some years back my twins were in school and one of their classmates had bought chicken biryani and as we are pure vegetarian (belonging to Brahmin family) we dont even have eggs n here my son was saying biryani.

A mother and son talk-

Son- Maa,Why can’t we have biryani?

Me- Why not dear! We can have

Son- So, Why don’t you make…..

Son -Make the veg one,my friend brings this biryani and it really smells yum,my friend did say that i cant have it as it had chicken..

Me- With a blank look and saying in my mind (not a big deal,but your granny doesn’t like fragrance of the essence used in it)never mind ..

Me- Ok, it’s a promise now I’ll make it for you and make a point that everyone loves it

Son-Smiled to his content 😀

Very shortly deadline was there (kab banaogi)when will make ….tomorrow???

So here’s my way of making vegetable biryani

Let’s get the recipe

Ingredient

Rice preparation

1 tablespoon rose essence

1 tablespoon kewra essence

2 cups basmati chawal

3 to 4 tej patta

1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns

1/2 tablespoon lavang (cloves)

3 to 4 green elaichi

2 masala elaichi

1/2 tablespoon mace

Salt

2 tablespoon ghee

Water for cooking rice

Pinch of food colour i have used red and yellow (optional)

Method for cooking rice

Boil 2 cups of rice in salted water,once it starts boiling add ghee and mix add in the spices cook till half done

Press it with your fingers and check it

Strain from water

Dilute colours you are using in different bowl with little water

Divide the rice in 3 parts

One part will be white do keep aside

Rest part of the rice you have to mix with colours and set aside

And mix it together

Ingredient for mix vegetable

1 whole cauliflower (cut into florets and boiled)

1 carrot chopped into cubes

1 cup green peas shelled

2 potatoes large chopped

1/2 cup of beans

4 onions chopped

5 to 6 green chillies

A handful of coriander leaves

1 1/2 tablespoon of ginger- garlic paste

1 tablespoon amchur powder

1/2 tablespoon mustard seeds

1 tablespoon red chilli powder

1 1 /2 tablespoon coriander powder

1 1/2 tablespoon of garam masala powder

1 tablespoon of whole coriander seeds

2 tablespoon Salt or as per taste

2 tablespoon curd

1/ 2 cup paneer cut into cubes

1/2 tablespoon besan (chickpeas flour)

Oil

For garnishing

5 to 6 onions finely chopped and deep fried

7 to 8 cashews deep fried

Method for making mix vegetable

Blanch all the vegetables given and keep aside

mix curd and besan into a fine paste keep aside

Take a blender and grind onions, green chillies, Whole coriander seeds,amchur powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, coriander leaves ,haldi powder with little water to a fine paste

Heat oil in kadai add in mustard seeds let them crackle add the onion paste,ginger-garlic paste in it and saute till oil oozes out from the sides and add in the blanched vegetables ,besan paste and a little water,give it a nice mix sprinkle garam masala powder ,salt mix well

Cook on low flame gor 5 minutes with the lid closed

Your mix veg is ready

Dilute kesar (saffron) in warm milk.

Method of layering biryani

Take a large vessel apply ghee at the bottom layer the rice and press it firmly, layer it with mix veg. Again layer the rice firmly sprinkle rose essence, 1 tablespoon ghee, coriander leaves saffron mixture and paneer cubes,again layer it with mix veg

Now layer rice sprinkle kewra essence, coriander leaves and ghee n saffron mixture,fried onions and cashews. Close the lid or use aluminium foil to cover

Place a tawa or griddle on low heat keep the biryani on the tawa and cook for 10 to 15 minutes

Your lovely yummy and fragranceful veg biryani is ready

Note: you can make your changes and variations there’s no rule to it, according to me

KHEER/Rice pudding/How to make kheer

KHEER/RICE PUDDING

This looks like a simple and plain dish,don’t go on the looks,they taste heavenly.Especially when it’s cooked on open flame with the milk n rice being cooked for an hour,all the flavours has been soaked by the rice in this cooking process.In India,kheer is also bhog or prasad(offering) to god on diwali and amavasya,in short…. any festival.So lets see what goes in making this yummy and tasty kheer

INGREDIENTS

1 liter milk

1/2 cup basmati rice(any rice will do)

1/2 cup sugar(or as per taste)

1 tablespoon elaichi powder(cardamom)

2 tablespoon chopped dry fruits(kaju,pista and badam or any prefered)

1 tablespoon rice flour(this is optional)

METHOD

Take big bowl pour milk in it and let it boil for 10 to 15 minutes on low flame,keep stirring or milk may overflow

Wash the rice and keep aside

After 15 minutes,add the washed rice in the milk and let it cook for 20 to 25 minutes or till the rice is cooked well

Once you see the rice is cooked add the rice flour,dry fruits and elaichi powder

Stir it well,no lumps should remain

Last you add sugar as per taste

Serve it chilled or hot,as your family and loved ones would prefer to eat

NOTE:Rice flour is optional,it thickens the kheer

I like my kheer thick,if you prefer you can add more milk or leave the rice flour option for a thin consistence

Chakali /How to make crispy Rice chakalis

Chakali are a perfect Diwali snack,or say any festival. I do store the flour for the whole year,and make them whenever there’s a desire or demand.make fresh batch of flour if you want to store it for the whole year. This recipe was given to me by my close family friend Smitha Bhabhi,which never went wrong

Rice chakali

Ingredeints

1 kg rice

1/2 kg chana dal

1 quater cup urad dal

1 cup thin poha

4 tsp jeera

4 tsp khada dhaniya

10 to 15 green chili

1/2 cup ginger

2 tsp haldi powder

1 tsp asafoeetida(hing)

salt as per taste

oil for deep frying

4 tsp sesame seeds(white)

Method

Wash all the dals and rice n strain them,spread it on sheet and let it dry under the fan over night,not in the sun.

next day take a pan dry roast the ingredients:jeera,khada dhaniya,poha,urad dal,chana dal and rice.

take it to the flour mill and get the flour done,if you dont want this process you can use rice flour and chana flour for making this chakali

in a blender make paste out of the ginger, green chili and hing

now heat oil in a pan add the ginger-green chili paste,haldi powder and salt,saute it

now add the flour in it and sesame seeds.

add oil for the moyan,mix the flour into a crumbly texture

heat water to a luke warm consistence and knead the flour

the dough should be firm

let it rest for 1/2 an hour

mean while take the chakali maker and oil it well so that the dough doesn’t stick into it and the shape of chakali comes out well

start taking small portions of the dough and put in the maker and make circles out of it

if the dough keeps breaking,then apply a bit water to the dough with your hand

make chakalis on the sheet and cover them with a wet cloth,so that they dont dry and break

heat oil in kadai for deep frying chakalis

fry them till light brown

cool the chakalis at room temperature

store them in tight jar.

chakalis are ready

you can keep this flour the whole year in a air tight container and use whenever you wish

you can skip ginger and green chili paste and use only haldi powder also,as some people are prone to acidity