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egetable Biriyani served in a dish
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5 from 1 vote

Vegetable Biriyani – Easy One Pot Meal

This vegetable biriyani is something that I make on weeknights for quick dinner and it can all be made in a pressure cooker or a heavy bottom pan. I used a sauté pan to do the initial sautéing and then transferred the contents to a rice cooker to cook.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: dinner, Lunch Box Recipes, Lunch Recipes, Rice Dishes
Cuisine: Indian
Diet: Low Fat, Vegetarian
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 438kcal

Equipment

  • Pressure Cooker
  • pan
  • spatula

Ingredients

To grind together –

  • a small bunch Mint leaves
  • half a small bunch Cilantro
  • 4 Green chilies adjust based on your spice preference
  • 1 inch piece Ginger
  • 3 cloves Garlic
  • ½ teaspoon Fennel seeds
  • 4 Cloves

For the Vegetable Biriyani –

  • 2 cups Basmati rice
  • 3 ½ cups Water
  • 4 cups Vegetables thinly sliced; I used potato, carrot, beans and bell pepper
  • 1 large Onion thinly sliced
  • 2 large Tomatoes chopped
  • ½ cup Yogurt
  • ½ teaspoon Fennel seeds
  • 2 small Bay leaf
  • 1 inch piece Cinnamon
  • 4 Cardamom
  • 1 Star anise
  • ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
  • ½ teaspoon Red chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon Garam masala
  • to taste Salt
  • 4 tablespoon Oil + Ghee
  • few Cashews and raisins to garnish

Instructions

  • Soak the basmati rice in water for about ½ hour. Drain the rice in a colander and keep it ready.
  • Grind all the ingredients mentioned under the ‘to grind’ list. Keep it aside.
  • In a wide pan, heat the oil and ghee and add the dry spices; fennel seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise. Fry it for a minute until they are aromatic.
  • Now add the thinly sliced onions and sauté until the onions are translucent.
  • Add the dry powders; turmeric powder, red chili powder and garam masala and sauté for a minute.
  • Now add the tomatoes and the yogurt and fry until the tomatoes are mushy and oil separated from the mixtures. This could take 5 to 7 minutes in medium high heat.
  • Add the ground paste and mix well. Fry the mixture for about 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Add the vegetables and mix well. Cover and cook the vegetables until they are half way cooked. Make sure you cook the vegetables in low heat. Sprinkle a little water if they start sticking to the bottom of the pan.
  • Add the drained rice and mix gently.
  • Add the water needed to cook the rice along with salt and then transfer it to the rice cooker. If preferred the biriyani can be cooked in the stove top. Make sure you cook the biriyani in low heat, covered, if cooking on stove top.
  • Once the rice is cooked, take it off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes.
  • Fry the cashews and raisins in a teaspoon of ghee and then add it to the vegetable biriyani. Then gently fluff with a fork and serve warm with raita.

Nutrition

Calories: 438kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 184mg | Potassium: 582mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 6741IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 2mg