Vegetable Biriyani

Ingredients:

• 1 cup - Basmati Rice (serves 2 people)
• 3 nos - Cloves
• 2 nos - Cardomom
• 1/2 tsp - Fennel Seeds
• 1 inch long Cinnamon stick
• Ghee
• 1 big Onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp - Ginger-garlic paste
• 2 nos - Green chillies
• 1 tsp - Turmeric Powder
• 2 tsp - Chilly powder
• 1 - Tomato, chopped
• 1 cup - Vegetables of your choice, diced into sqaure pieces of 1 inch (I took cauliflower, potatoes, beans, carrot)
• 1/3 cup - Coriander leaves
• 1 cup - Curd
• 15 nos - Raisins
• 15 nos - Cashewnut
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Cook the basmati rice till it is 3/4th done. Pour some 1 tsp of oil and a pinch of salt while cooking. Strain and keep aside
• Heat a pan and pour 2 tbsp of Ghee and put all the spices and saute
• Put 3/4 of the sliced onions and saute till golden brown. Sprinkle some salt, it will fasten the process
• Add ginger-garlic, green chillies, red chilly powder and turmeric powder and saute well
• Add finely chopped tomato and saute. Add salt to taste
• Add the vegetable, mix well, cover it and cook for a while
• Add half the coriander leaves and 3/4 cup of curd into the vegetables. Simmer and mix well till the oil separtes.
• Fry the rest of the onions and keep aside.Fry the raisins and cashewnuts in ghee.
• Take a deep and thick based bowl, put 1/3 of the gravy into the bowl and layer it with rice. Put chopped coriander leaves, fried onions, raisins and cahsewnuts. Sprinkle some curd and ghee. Repeat the process. Cover the bowl tightly and cook on low heat for 10 minutes
• You may serve this with raita.