Vegetable Biryani
Vegetable biryani is a dish that is popular in South Asian states. It’s very simple to make, healthy, and tastes great. This vegetarian biryani recipe will be a hit with everyone as it has many delicious flavors and ingredients.
Biryani is a popular dish in many countries of South Asia. It is a delicious dish that can be prepared using meat/vegetables, rice, and spices. Vegan biryani is easy to make and is also healthy.
It has a blend of different flavors and spices that makes it one of the most popular dishes in India. Biryani recipes have been passed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years now. They all taste very delicious.
But Vegetable Biryani is one of my favorite. I’ve been making it for as long as I can remember and I love that I can make it always different. I like to add some new ingredients every time I make it because that helps me to keep experimenting with what goes into this tasty rice version of fried rice!
Also see Jollof Rice, Jamaican Rice and Peas, and Turmeric Coconut Rice.
Vegetable Biryani
This vegetable biryani is appreciated by family and friends. I can’t even remember how many times I’ve served this vegetarian biryani recipe to friends, family, and get-togethers.
This post includes a recipe for Vegetable Biryani that uses basmati rice, lots of fresh vegetables, herbs, and spices. The most common vegetables used to make this dish are cauliflower, green beans, carrots, peas, and potatoes.
The spices include cardamom, cinnamon sticks, bay leaf, cumin seeds, and garam masala. The herbs used in this dish include mint leaves and cilantro leaves. You will be surprised at the taste and aroma of this easy-to-make Vegetable Biryani that your entire family will love.
If you want to make this dish at home then follow these simple step-by-step instructions on how to prepare Vegetable Biryani easily at home without any difficulty, but I suggest you don’t skip the information included in the blurb.
Why You Love This Recipe?
I love Vegetable Biryani. And I know you’ll love this recipe too!
Plus, I’m sure this is going to be the most popular vegetarian recipe on my blog and for good reason:
- It is a delicious, aromatic, and healthy dish.
- It’s so simple to make and only uses easy-to-find ingredients.
- If you love vegetables then this is for you! It’s full of vegetables like cauliflower, green beans, potatoes, carrots, and peas which make this dish healthy and nutritious as well.
- The rice is rich in smoky, bold flavors that come from various spices used as well as from tomatoes, onions, and cilantro — classic summertime ingredients!
- It is a great combination of vegetables with spices which can be enjoyed by everyone.
- This classic dish is a meal in itself. This vegetable biryani recipe makes a hearty meal that will fill you up for a long!
- It’s the perfect recipe to make for any occasion, especially for a family gathering.
- At the dinner table, it has traditionally been a much-loved meal.
- It’s also a great meal for kids because of the variety of vegetables and flavors it has.
- The vegetable biryani is equally as versatile. It can be made with any combination of vegetables and spices you like, and it’s easy to customize it by adding or subtracting certain ingredients depending on what you have on hand or what you’re in the mood for.
This is a very delicious dish that you must try out at home yourself!
Ingredients
- Basmati Rice – You may use any long grain aromatic rice.
- Mix vegetables – I have used frozen vegetables, cauliflower, green beans, carrots, and peas. You may use any vegetable frozen or fresh!
- Potato – I love the flavor of potato, you may or may not add potato.
- Tomatoes – I used freshly blended tomatoes, you may use tomato paste.
- Green chilies – Just for the layering
- Mint – Adds the perfect aroma and aids digestion
- Cilantro – One can never go wrong with cilantro
- Ginger garlic paste – I used store-bought just for convenience, you may use fresh chopped ginger and garlic
- Bay leaf – Aromatic spice, a staple for biryani
- Small green cardamom – Adds the perfect aroma and taste
- Cinnamon sticks – Adds a subtle flavor and aroma
- Cumin seeds – Another staple of biryani, aids digestion
- Salt – I use the pink Himalayan salt
- Red chili powder – You may add paprika if you find red chili powder too hot
- Turmeric – Staple Indian spice for biryani
- All spice powder (garam masala) – You can easily find this at any Indian grocery store, it’s a powder mix of all the dry spices.
- Oil – You may use any, I used olive oil.
How To Make Vegetable Biryani?
- Let the rice soak in water for 30 minutes, then boil it in salted water until half has done.
- Make sure the rice is drained and cooled, but any leftover boiled rice would also be good!
- Fry onions in some oil until caramelized.
- Set aside half of the caramelized onions.
- With ginger garlic paste, add dry spices, bay leaf, green cardamom, and cinnamon stick.
- Add spices along with the blended tomatoes and fry for a minute.
- Fry the spice mix until the oil separates.
- Stir in the vegetables and cook for a few minutes.
- Put some water into the pot and simmer for a few minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- Now that the vegetable curry is ready, it’s time to layer it.
- Sprinkle green chilies, cilantro, and mint leaves over the curry.
- Cover the curry mix with boiled rice.
- Add mint leaves and reserved caramelized onions over the boiled rice.
- On low flame, simmer the biryani for 15 minutes.
- Once the rice and curry are nicely steamed, uncover them.
- Mix it up and serve!
Serving Suggestions
The dish is usually served with raita, a yogurt-based sauce that can be made with cucumber, yogurt, or chopped tomato. You can serve this vegetable biryani with chutney (mint tomato sauce), pickle (pickled mango), or whatever your favorite side dish is like pakora (fried fritters), samosa (fried dumpling), poori (fried bread), etc., for a complete dinner.
Chef’s Notes
There are lots of points that need to be kept in mind while preparing this dish. Let me break them down for you.
- This biryani is made with basmati rice, which is long-grained rice popular in India and Pakistan. It has a unique aroma and flavor that can’t be replicated by other types of rice.
- To give it a delicious buttery flavor you can use ghee if prefer.
- Use fresh vegetables if possible. It tastes better when you use fresh vegetables instead of frozen ones because they will have more flavor and taste better.
- The preparation time is a little bit longer but the results are worth it.
- Vegetables should not be overlooked because they will become mushy and unpleasant to eat.
- To achieve a uniform hue, stir often while frying onions.
- Rice should be soaked for 30 minutes before cooking. Soaking the grains in water facilitates the cooking process.
- Do not stir the basmati rice while it is boiling. The grains may be broken up by stirring.
Other Vegan Indian Recipes To Prepare
Frequently Asked Questions:
Is Vegetable Biryani Healthy?
Vegetable biryani has minimal saturated fat, cholesterol, and salt content. making it a healthy food. It also contains a considerable amount of manganese and dietary fiber. It is made with a variety of fresh vegetables, including carrots, green beans, potatoes, cauliflower, and peas.
Can I Add Some Protein To Vegetable Biryani?
Yes! With tofu, you may keep it vegetarian, or if you are not vegan, you can add your favorite seafood, chicken, or beef.
As I said before, this meal is well-known for varying across South Asian locales, and it is incredibly adaptable.
How Long Will Vegetable Biryani Stay Fresh?
This rice and veggie meal can remain fresh for three to four days if refrigerated in an airtight container. You can reheat it in the microwave, but the best way is to put it back on the stove for a few minutes.
What Can I Garnish The Vegetable Biryani With?
In other varieties, biryani is topped with fried onion (also known as birista) and fragrant ingredients like rose water, saffron-infused milk, pandanus extract (kewra water), and clarified butter.
Additional garnishes that add a bold pop of flavor and color include herbs like mint and coriander leaves.
Does Veg Biryani Taste Good?
Nothing compares to a tasty serving of fragrant biryani! With its beautiful scent and unique flavors, this vegetable biryani strikes all the right notes! A treat to the taste buds in every bite since it is packed with vegetables and spicy spices like cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, cumin seeds, and herbs like cilantro and mint.
What Goes With Vegetable Biryani?
The biryani is itself a meal. Typically served with raita or gravy on the side, such as salan, which goes well with the meal. The biryani dinner is accompanied by onions and cucumber slices.
What Is The Secret Ingredient Of Biryani?
The spices are the key elements of a flavorful vegetarian biryani dish. This recipe’s distinctive flavor comes from the garam masala, whole cumin seeds, and green cardamom pods.
What Is The Difference Between Pulav (Pulao) And Biryani?
The primary distinction between these two recipes lies in rice preparation.
In order to prepare a vegetarian biryani, the rice is first boiled in water, drained, dried, and then piled with other ingredients.
In pulao, the rice, veggies, and other components in pulao entirely absorb the water used to prepare the dish; everything is cooked in the same pot.
Give this recipe a try. It’s incredibly delicious and super easy. I hope you like it. As always, I would love to hear from you. So if you tried this recipe or any other from my website, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
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Vegetable Biryani
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 2 medium onions sliced
- 1 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
- 2 medium tomatoes chopped and blended into puree
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 green cardamom
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspooon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala or allspice
- 1 cup mixed vegetables
- 1 large potato diced
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/4 cup Mint leaves chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Let the rice soak in water for 30 minutes, then boil it in salted water until half has done.
- Make sure the rice is drained and cooled, but any leftover boiled rice would also be good!
- Fry onions in some oil until caramelized, about 5 minutes.
- Set aside half of the caramelized onions.
- With ginger garlic paste, add dry spices, bay leaf, green cardamom, and cinnamon stick.
- Add spices along with the blended tomatoes and fry for a minute.
- Fry the spice mix until the oil separates.
- Stir in the vegetables and cook for a few minutes.
- Put some water into the pot and simmer for a few minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- Now that the vegetable curry is ready, it’s time to layer it.
- Sprinkle green chilies, cilantro, and mint leaves over the curry.
- Cover the curry mix with boiled rice.
- Add mint leaves and reserved caramelized onions over the boiled rice.
- On low flame, simmer the biryani for 15 minutes.
- Once the rice and curry are nicely steamed, uncover them.
- Mix it up and serve!
i will try this recipe
Thank you Dear, I hope you enjoy!
Hello! What do you mean, boil the rice until half is done?
Hello Catherine, it means that you can leave the rice a little underdone as you will cook it for another 15 minutes later on when you add the vegetables, however you can fully cook it at first.
YUMMM 👌👌👌
Thank you Eman
Seems delicious
Thank you
😋😋