Vegetable Biryani
When we travel, we can often find kosher vegetarian Indian restaurants. We've
learned to love the spice combinations and the presentation style.
Vegetable Biryani is a layered Indian stew/rice dish, a one-dish meal that is
both nutritious and beautiful to serve.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Basmati rice
- 1 T. canola oil
- generous pinch of saffron
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 1/4 cup hot water
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 T. canola oil
- 2 tsp. grated peeled fresh ginger root
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin seeds
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander seeds
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne (or to taste)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 small sweet potato diced
- 2 cups caulifower florets
- 1 medium red pepper, diced
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1/2 cup green peas
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 3/4 cup canned or fresh cooked chick peas
- salt to taste
- garnish of toasted almonds
Sauté rice briefly in 1 T. oil, stir to coat each kernel. Crumble in the
saffron, add turmeric, salt, and hot water. Cook rice for about 20-25
minutes. Saute onions in 2 T. in oil for 5 minutes. Mix in ginger, cumin,
coriander, cinnamon, and cayenne. Cook for a minute, stirring. Add 1/2 cup
water, sweet potato, and cauliflower. Cover pan and cook on low for
3-4 minutes. Stir in bell pepper, tomato, peas, raisins, and chick peas.
Continue to simmer until vegetables are barely tender, adding more water if
needed. Add salt to taste. Butter a 2.5 quart casserole, and spread half of
the rice in the bottom. Top with all the vegetables and then the remaining
rice. Cover the dish and bake at 350° for about 30 minutes. Garnish
with toasted nuts. Serves 6.