Vegetable biryani

Ingredients

For 2 servings.

1 cup = 240 ml; 1 tablespoon = 15 ml; 1 teaspoon = 5 ml. Use metric quantities where stated. Times and servings are indicative.

• 1 cup aged basmati rice
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup diced potato, 1/3 cup carrot and 1/3 cup peas
• 1 small chopped tomato and 1 optional green chilli
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 tbsp chopped mint and 2 tbsp chopped coriander
• 2 tbsp oil or ghee
• 3 tbsp plain yogurt
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric and 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 Indian bay leaf, 2.5 cm cinnamon, 3 cloves and 3 cardamom pods
• 1/2 tsp caraway or cumin seeds and 1 star anise
• 480 ml water and 3/8 tsp salt, adjustable
• 10 toasted cashews and lemon juice, optional

Step-by-step method

1. Rinse rice and soak for 20 minutes. Dice vegetables small and drain rice.
2. Heat oil or ghee and let the whole spices sizzle for 1 minute. Add onion and chilli and cook until golden.
3. Add ginger-garlic paste, then vegetables; fry for 2 minutes.
4. Add tomato, yogurt, herbs, ground spices and a pinch of salt. Cook for 2–3 minutes until tomato softens.
5. Spread rice over vegetables. Boil water with remaining salt and pour around the edges without mixing the layers.
6. Cover and cook over low-medium heat until rice is tender and absorbs the water. Remove from heat and rest covered for 15 minutes.
7. Fluff with a fork and serve with cashews and lemon if desired.