Vegetable Biriyani

Ingredients:
Basmathi/Any fine rice - 4 cups
Carrot(large) - 1/2 cup (chopped lengthwise about an inch long)
Beans - 1/2 cup (chopped lengthwise, an inch long)
Potatoes(small) - 1 nos (diced with skin)
Fresh green peas - 1/4 cup
Cauliflower florets - 1/2 cup
Double beans - 1/4 cup
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Onion(large) - 2 nos (chopped lengthwise)
Tomato(large) - 2 nos (diced)
Coriander leaves(chopped) - A handful
Mint leaves(chopped) - A handful
Green chillies - 2 nos (slit)
Salt - As required
Sugar - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Kesar/edible red color - just enough(mixed in 1/4 cup milk)
Thick curd - 1/2 cup
Cloves(Grambu) - 5 - 6 nos
Cinnamon(Karugapatta) sticks - 2 inch broken
Cardamom(Elakka) - 4 nos (crushed)
Bay leaves(Karuga/Vazhana ela) - 3 nos (cut in half)
Oil - 2 tbsp
Ghee - 3 tsp
Water

For masala(grind into a coarse paste):
Onion(medium) - 2 nos
Green chillies - 2 nos
Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tsp
Fennel seeds(Perinjeerakam) - 2 tsp
Chilly powder - 4 tsp

Method of Preparation:
1)Wash the rice and soak in water for about 1/2 hr and then strain and save the water.

:- 1.5 cups of water for 1 cup of rice.

2)Heat oil in a pressure cooker.

3)Add the cloves, cinnamon sticks, cardamom and bay leaves.

4)Once the cloves stop bursting, add the thinly sliced onions, slit green chillies and curry leaves.

5)Fry till the onions turn brown.

6)Add the coarsely ground paste, salt, turmeric powder and sugar and fry till a nice aroma arises.

7)Add the chopped tomatoes and fry until they turn pulpy and oil starts floating on the mixture.

9)Add all the vegetables, mint leaves and coriander leaves and fry till the mixture becomes dry.

10)Add the strained rice and fry with the veggies for a few minutes.

11)Add the saved water, curd, ghee and mix well. Sprinkle the saffron soaked milk and rice on top.

12)Check for salt and spice and close the cooker with the weight on.

13)Just after the first whistle, remove from fire.

:- Do not leave on fire for more than 1 whistle as the rice would get over cooked and get burnt at the bottom.

14)Once pressure settles remove the rice onto a serving dish.

:- Serve hot with onion/carrot/beetroot raitha.

Happy cooking :)

Reference: http://sujeescuisine.blogspot.com/2010/03/vegitable-biriyani.html