Quick Vegetable Biryani

( Vegans just skip the ghee )

The mad rush of the days of Durga puja and Diwali finally settle down to a sudden quiet.
I can almost hear a sigh of relief in the air.

The days are sedate now. No more rushing about, meeting deadlines, following rituals.
No more staying on our toes; keeping an ear out for the doorbell ... anticipating another batch of friends or guests. No more checking if the jars and the fridge are full ... or at least half full ... to be able to offer something to guests.
The afternoons are lazy. The sun has already shifted and the South facing windows and rooms are flooded with sunlight; making the spots delightful to sit down with a book or for a snooze with a light quilt around you. Which I eventually do these days. Both.
Catch up with my much needed rest.
A book ... a few pages through ... and I am asleep.
The evenings are quiet too. I get up to a cup of tea and my book again.

Sometimes I cook something other than the daily dal, roti, sabzis.
It might be a quick pizza in the oven ... a store bought base with loads of chopped veggies and some cheese and pizza sauce, a few minutes in the oven and done!
We take out slices from the oven and leave the rest there to stay warm ... as we munch on our slices and watch the Big B's voice resonate through the room. I love watching KBC.
On other days I make a quick stir fried noodles ... again with loads of veggies ... but cut differently.
A quick toss and done!
Now that winter is here, most nights will see hot Aloo parathas, Mooli parathas or Methi parathas off the tawa onto the plates ... with some spicy pickle on the side.

These days, I try to keep everything short and quick. Of course I have always loved to cook light and quick meals. But these days it is more out of necessity. I am not supposed to strain my hand and shoulders too much.Which I follow.
I am not going to throw care to the winds and get banished from my beloved kitchen for months together ... not any more.

So, when in one of our after lunch addas B asked me if I remembered the vegetable biryani that we had got packed from Souza's Lobo, Goa, for our return journey home, I jumped up and said I am going to make it!

What days those were! Two vagabonds, rushing off to unknown destinations, exploring new places, new food ... all in a shoe string budget. 

We were leaving Goa just before lunch. I had my fish with me ... all packed for the journey. 

But we had no idea what to pack for B. That was when the kind onwer suggested their Veg Biryani.

He said it will stay warm and we should finish it by late noon. 

The biryani was good. In fact very good. 

It had baby corn, green peas, carrots, potatoes,paneer, etc. 

And the gravy and the fried onions on the top were to die for. 

The rice has soaked it up well.

And we had one of the best lunches that day, while our train rushed through the Konkan countryside.

I did try the recipe out later ... almost always with left over rice.
But this time I did not have any left over rice ... so made it from scratch.
I did not boil rice in a vessel and drain it ... the usual way that I cook rice. Instead I cooked it in a kadahi till half done and added to the vegetables later.

If you are looking an authentic version of cooking biryani, this is definitely not it.
But it works.
Super quick and time saving. And not too much of compromise with the flavours.

Need :

Basmati rice - 1 and ½ cup, washed well
Whole garam masalas - clove + cinnamon + black cardamom (broken ) + bay leaves/tej patta + dry red chillies
Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Tomato paste / puree - 4 tbsp
Curd -  6 tbsp , beaten till smooth
Onion - 3 medium sized
Turmeric / Haldi powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
 Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste
Biryani masala - 1 tbsp ( I use Everest )
Fresh coriander leaves
Mint leaves
Kasuri methi - 1 tbsp, crushed well 
Cooking oil - 6 tbsp
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Kishmish / Raisins - soaked in water
Cashew nuts / Kaju
Vegetables of your choice - chopped into small cubes
( I had beans, baby corn, cauliflower, green peas + potatoes + paneer cubes )
Water for the rice - 1 and ½ cups ( use the same cup that you have measured the rice with )
Water for gravy - as needed

How to :

The rice :

Heat 2 tbsp oil + 1 tbsp ghee in a heavy bottomed kadahi.
Add the whole garam masalas.
When they start to splutter, add the cashew nuts and fry a little.
Remove the nuts and add the washed rice.
Fry well on low heat for a while. Do not brown.
Add a little salt ... around two pinches.
Heat the water and add to the rice.
Cover and cook on low heat till all water is soaked up.
The rice should be half done.
Remove cover, fluff it up a little and keep aside.

The fried onions or Beresta :

Take two of the onions and slice them up thinly.
Heat 3 tbsp oil in another kadahi or pan.
Let in the onions and fry till golden brown, on low heat.
This will take time ... so let it sit on one burner and start prepping for the vegetable curry.
Do not raise heat to brown them.
You can deep fry them too ... I did not.

The vegetables :

Heat the rest of the oil and 1 tbsp ghee in another heavy bottomed kadahi or pan.
Preferably a flat open pan ... and the base has to be thick as you will be arranging the biryani in it. We don't want our biryani to burn before it is cooked well.

Add the potatoes and the paneer and fry on high heat to brown the sides.
No need to wait for them to cook .... they will, once they are dunked into the gravy.
Remove and keep aside.

Chop up the third onion and add to the same oil.
When slightly brown, add the ginger + garlic pastes and fry well.
Add the haldi and red chilli quickly for it to stop spluttering too much.
Add some water if needed and fry well till cooked and dryish.

Now add the curd keep stirring on low heat.
When it has mixed well, add the tomato puree.
Cook till dry.

Now add the vegetables, the paneer, salt, sugar and a little water.
Cover and cook till the vegetables are done. 
Remove cover and add the kasuri methi, the biryani masala, the cashew nuts and raisins.
Add water if needed.
We need a thickish gravy like so.

Now spread the rice on the top of the gravy.
Sprinkle the ghee and the coriander leaves and the mint leaves.
Spread the fried onions all over.
Give one single stir to bring up some of the gravy to the top and then spread the rest of the rice on it.
Spread the rest of the onions.
Top it with the rest of the ghee.

Cover tightly with a well fitting lid or a heavy plate.
Let it sit on low heat, on the biggest sized burner of your stove, for 10 to 15 minutes , depending on the amount of gravy you have.
Switch off heat and let it sit for a few more minutes.
Once cover is removed, serve immediately.

Here is a closer look.

This biryani is enjoyed best with the Raita on the side. Chilled, if possible. 
To make the raita, all you need to do is beat fresh curd till smooth, add salt, roasted jeera powder and some red chilli powder.
It is the perfect match to the light spice of the biryani. The caramelised onions give a slight sweet touch to every bite.

Enjoy this quick biryani on a lazy winter afternoon with friends and family.
Or as dinner on a lazy night.
Also perfect to whip up when you have sudden guests who you want to stay over for lunch.

Cheerio all !!

Mutton Biryani

( Vegetarians can make this with any spicy veg curry. )

 Or quick Mutton biryani.

Anybody who is a regular on Kichu Khon will know about my obsession with

quick and simple cooking.

So this biryani is not about cooking this and soaking that.

Making of this masala and grinding of that masala.

Nah ... just pick up a bowl of leftover mutton curry and cook it with rice.

Garnish it with slivers of fried onion or Birista.

And done!

You have as good as new Mutton biryani in your hands.

Or plate.

When I made this Mangshor jhol / mutton curry,

friends on FB suggested I make a biryani with the left over curry.

And left over mutton curry I did have .... what with only me having it ...

So jumped right in.

They even directed me on how to make the perfect fried onion.

Result ... I had a great mutton biryani!

Made my day perfect.

 After yesterday's rant, I don't have much to write about today.

So will straight go to the recipe.

If you have already cooked mutton curry at home, this is a breeze.

Need :

Left over mutton curry

Whole garam masala -  cloves+black cardamom+cinnamon

Bay leaves

Basmati rice - washed well and drained ( I do not soak )
Cashews - lightly fried

Ghee

Salt

Sugar

Water

Onions - cut into thin slices

Oil - to deep fry the onion slices

Biryani masala powder

Lemon juice

 How to :

The fried onion :

Heat enough oil and deep fry the onion slices in batches.

I sprinkle a little sugar on them.

Remove when well fried and brownish in colour.

 The rice :

Heat ghee in a heavy pan.

Add the whole garam masalas. 

Now add the rice and stir fry well for some time.

When the ghee coats the rice well, add equal amount of water as rice, salt and cover and cook till rice is half done.

Or ... when all water is absorbed.

Remove from heat and fluff it up with a fork.

Better still ... spread it out on a plate ... it will dry up and the grains should separate easily.

Arranging the biryani :

Now take another heavy bottom kadahi ... or a flat based pressure cooker would do too.
Smear it well with ghee.
Spread a layer of the cooked rice and sprinkle some biryani masala on it.
Now spread some mutton pieces and gravy all over.
Then spread some  fried onions and cashew and cover with another layer of rice.
Continue for at least three layers.
Finish off with a layer of rice finally ... covered with the rest of the onion slices.

Put a heavy lid on and keep on low heat for at least half an hour.
I keep a heavy iron tawa on the heat and keep the cooker on it.

Serve immediately after removing from heat.
Curd raita goes great on the side with this.
I chopped some onions, green chillies and cucumber real small,
mixed with curd
and added a dash of salt and black pepper powder.

Look at that fragrant bowlful!
Doesn't it tempt you try it out pronto? :-)

Enjoy!!!

A vegetarian version of this biryani is here ... the Kathal Biryani.

Instant Kathal Biryani (Raw Jackfruit Biryani) ... and a few thoughts

( If you are unable to get raw jackfruit, this can be made with a lot of other things like leftover cauliflower / potatoes/ paneer/ chicken / mutton curries too. )

Updated : I have never had absolutely any problems with any 'COMMENTS on my blog(s) ... as many of you have assumed in a hurry to leave nice lines for me. I guess you just skimmed the first few lines ... which too are not on what is being assumed.. I clarify here that my post is on something very different ... and I did not 'experience' or 'go thru' anything traumatic to shake me off the face of earth.
Please either read the whole post before writing anything ... or just jump to the recipe. :-)

Ever since I visited a few food blogs that are a little over around 2- 3 years old, I have been thinking. I am so touched by the courteousness and light humour in them as well as the comments they have got. Such graceful ladies ... and such friendliness. In one blog, when one commentator mentioned that she too was about to post a similar recipe, the blog owner actually expressed regret at not knowing ... else she would have waited. Such character and endearing quality!

And so much different from what we are getting these days ... foul words and expletives peppered dangerously all around. I wonder what force compels. Is it insecurity ... or this desire to be the centre of attention? I find it very juvenile .... but whatever it may be .... it defines a lack of depth and education.

Because nobody is taught to use foul language. So it is a self decided activity. I believe the true self of a person is displayed when life puts a test in front of him/her, out of the blue. It is how you tackle any given situation with how much quiet, grace, humour and dignity that shows what kind of a person you are. It may be total joy, sorrow, fear or a loss.

I do not think using foul words proves somebody to be more educated or gutsy than others ... and neither does it prove the person's hold on vocabulary ... rather I believe it proves the lack of it.
Our blogs are our own places ... and I akin my blog to my home. Just as I would keep my home clean and pure for myself and my visitors, so would I want to keep my blog pages clean and wholesome for my visitors and friends here. Who would want to visit a place or spend a while there if it is known to store rotten garbage with enthusiasm ?
Who would want to appreciate my home or my page if it is full of filth ... words or otherwise ?

More the reason if it is a food blog. We associate food with God. The food we cook and serve is offered as prasad to the gods too ... not to mention that it nourishes us on the whole. Who would want to have a look at any food .... no matter how beautifully presented .... leave alone eat it ... if they knew that the house owner places garbage in the same plate?

Then how can someone use horrid dirty words and then smile and display a recipe at the same go?!
Beats me. All I know is we are what our thoughts make us ... mind, body and soul.

My recipe today is again a quick dish that I often make ... usually with whatever leftover curry and rice I have. The magic in this dish is the flavour biryani masala and the onion fried in ghee. Of course, it helps if the curry you are using is slightly spicy with lots of masala.

I had made a spicy curry with the raw Kathal / Jackfruit .... that had lots of onion & ginger & garlic paste and garam masala.

Need : Leftover Kathal curry ( or any spicy curry of say cauliflower / potatoes/ paneer/ chicken / mutton), cooked white rice ( better if it has stayed in the fridge for at least a night ) ,
a lot of sliced onion, ghee / clarified butter, bay leaves, dry whole red chillies, whole spices ( green cardamom, cinamom, cloves ), Biryani Masala Powder ( I use Everest Biryani Masala ), a few fresh mint leaves.

How to : Heat ghee in a heavy kadhai / wok. Add the whole spices, the bay leaves, the chillies and then the onions. Fry on low heat till the onions slowly turn brown.
( Do not try to add sugar to hasten the process .... the onions will not cook from the inside and will burn from the outside).
Remove the onions to a plate.
Arrange a layer of rice in the same kadhai ... or you can take another flat bottomed pan. Then arrange a layer of the leftover curry. Sprinkle a pinch of Biryani masala powder on it and then spread a few fried onions on it. And some mint leaves. Cover with another layer of rice.

You can make multiple layers if you have enough rice and curry. Spread the final batch of the onions on top. Drizzle some ghee generously. Cover tightly and let it sit on low heat for around 15 mins.
Remove and serve hot with curd or raita.

And oh yeah ... I finally got to finish this top { updated : for myself :-) } I'd started a coupla months back. :-)



I'll try to be a little more regular than the past week ... till then take care all ... and hugs to all of you who enquired after me about my well being. Am just fine. Much thanks! :-)

Enjoy !!