Personally, I am not a fan of vegetable biryani. I mean, who needs it when you have a much tastier counterpart – chicken biryani! But since I am looking at cooking more and more diverse vegetarian dishes, I had to try this as well. In fact, my mom calls biryani a quick fix meal when we have guests but whenever I check for recipes online, the steps have always been long-wound and involve too much ingredients and procedures.
Here’s a quicker version of vegetable biryani in pressure cooker.
The other day I was going through this old diary of mine that I used to write down recipes and cut out recipes from magazines, and I came across this biryani recipe. Sadly, I don’t have the source but I got the feeling it would turn out well.
There are two ways of cooking this biryani with the same set of ingredients. I have outlined the longer method and the quick version is at the bottom of the post. Since I was making it the first time, I was a good girl and followed the steps but next time I am just throwing everything in a pressure cooker and reading till its done 🙂
VEGETABLE BIRYANI RECIPE
What I Used:
Basmati Rice – 1 cup
Chopped mixed vegetables – 1 cup (potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, beans, green peas, etc)
Onion – 1 big, chopped
Curd – 1 Tbsp (optional)
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds/Saunf – 1/4tsp
Cardamom / elakka – 2
Cloves / grampoo – 2
Bay leaf – 1
Lemon Juice – 1 tsp
Oil/Ghee – 3 Tbsp (or a little less, ‘cuz mine came out a bit too oily)
For Spice Paste
Coconut – 2 Tbsp (optional)
Green chillies – 3, adjust according to taste
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Cinnamon – a 1″ piece
Ginger – a 1″ piece
Garlic – 1 tbsp, ground paste
How to Make Vegetable Biryani
1. Wash and soak rice for about 15 mins. Cook in an open pot with 3 cups water until the rice is cooked yet firm. Alternately, you can pressure cook for one whistle with one cup water.
2. Grind the ingredients for spice paste adding very little water. Meanwhile, cook the chopped vegetables in adequate water until cooked yet firm.
3. Heat oil/ghee and roast the fennel seeds, cardamom, cloves and bay leaf for about 30 seconds. Then add the onions and fry till it turns pink and translucent.
4. Add the semi cooked vegetables next and saute for 2-3 mins. Mix in the ground spice paste and fry till the raw smells leaves it. This shouldn’t take more than 5 mins.
5. Next add the curd (if using), red chilli powder, turmeric powder, lime juice and salt and mix well.
6. Turn off the heat. Add the cooked rice and mix gently until well blended.
Serve hot with raita, papad and pickles.
Note:
A super-quick version of this vegetable biryani recipe would be to do all the frying in the pressure cooker pan (spices, onions and ground paste). Add raw cut vegetables and washed, soaked rice to this. Pressure cook for one whistle in 1.5 cups water. This is what I mostly do but doing it the long way gives you more separated grains of rice and a stronger flavour.
looks yummy …but 6 green chillies and 1 tbls of redchilli powder won't it be hot for 1 cup of rice.let me know
you are right of course. i have edited the recipe. this was posted back in the day when i was terrible at estimating quantities, clearly 🙂
It's good Receipe……..Yummy………
Looks delicious, I am sure it tastes good too. I am going to try and make it this week end.Thanks for sharing.
malini – so glad you liked it 🙂 thanks for letting me know!
thanks…it came out sooo good… awesome recipe…
hi !! your recipe seems to be quick and delicious…gonna try it tonight//…will get back 😀
Seena – I now have another vegetable biryani / biriyani recipe that I will share very soon! 🙂
im going to try this. this recipe luks easy and yummy
I tried this one. And it came out really great! I used the long procedure and this recipe is a keeper:)Thank you for the recipe:)
Thanks for your recipe. You have a wonderful blog.
LOL – I was JUST looking for a good vegetable biryani recipe yesterday and found one somewhere in the internet somewhere with a list as long as my arm. Didn’t have everything but it still turned out well with what i had – yours looks much easier to make (loving the pressure cooker method lol) and looks fantastic. I bet it was just as good 😀
A biriyani is one of those dishes on my “must-cook” list this year.
looks yummy! Even I don’t quite fancy veg biryani, but if it looks like this..then I have to eat it! And thanks for the quick method, i like short cuts very much 🙂
Biriyani looks spicy & delicious Nags!!!
I use the rice cooker,makes it easier.Urs look great…perfect Biryani:)
Nithya
my dad really makes the all time best veg biryani i have ever tasted – but nags you come rather close 😉 a lovely recipe!
Hi,this is my first time at your blog.your biryani is mouth watering..looks like the restaurant one 🙂
Looks lovely. throwing everything in the cooker? 🙂 ( I do the same in the rice cooker 🙂 )isn’t biryani an al time favorite?
Nags,
Kindly accept my appreciation here ;
http://thepassionatecookinme.blogspot.com/
Thanks
ha ha ha,throwing everything in pressure cooker and reading is my patent of cooking,now u too…tsk tsk tsk,haven’t heard of plagiarism huh??
Lolz…i can have biryani anytime of the day,even qualifies for catering midnight cravings 😉
Yours look too tempting to resist…ok wheres my pressure cooker ?brb…need to THROW something in it;-)
I love Biryani. I too have about 3 version of making it. But I mmostly follow the easiest one which involves no grinding. my 2nd version is similar to yours. I bet, cooking the rice separately give it a better flavor.
Biriyani Looks spicy and delicious! I can smell the aroma..
I do everything in cooker method:) That too in rice cooker…it wont get gooey anymore inspite of ur water ratio…cool!
Nice presentation!
Happy Cook – Correction! I have four new ramekins 😉
Hi Nags, love your pic! I make it the last way, in the automatic rice cooker. I learnt the method from my mother who has always made vegetable biriyani that way. It is very quick and the rice stays separated too.
Nags I can see that you have two new ramkins.
I love vegetabble biriyani, but if i had the choice i would also fo for chicken one.
These look yumm.
The quick method is the one I always follow. Love your pics….
Beautiful looking Biryani, I like the spices there. Good one< Nags!:)
Oh wow looks yummy…
yumm…veg biryani…this seems easy enough…this is a must try…will get back
looks great!!
biriyani looks yummy nags. it looks nice and spicy.
But Nags,your biriyani looks so yummy that i feel like having some right now..drools.