Veg Biryani is an extremely flavorful and delicious dish prepared with layers of vegetable gravy and rice. The recipe is adapted from original Biryani recipe which involves meat. Although it looks similar to pulao, it’s not as simple as dumping vegetables and rice together. It needs patience and some preparation to cook a delicious pot of Biryani.
Vegetables are marinated and then cooked with spices. Basmati rice is cooked separately with whole spices. Vegetable gravy and rice are then layered along with fried onions and few other ingredients. It’s slow cooked to combine all flavors together by a process called dum.
Veg Biryani tastes fantastic on it’s own but it’s usually served with some yogurt raita to balance the spiciness. Mirchi Salan and/or papad are some of the other accompaniments. For this recipe, I have used available veggies at the time but you can use any vegetables of your choice. Apart from these vegetables, you can also add paneer/tofu/potatoes/egg if you like. For rice, long grain aromatic rice variety like Basmati Rice is used.
You may also want to check other yummy rice recipes such as:
- Tawa Pulao | Mumbai style Tava Pulao
- Masale Bhaat in Instant Pot| Maharashtrian Masale Bhat | No Onion No Garlic
- Veg Fried Rice | Indian Chinese Vegetable Fried Rice
- Peas Pulao (Yellow) | Matar Pulao
- Palak Pulao | Spinach Vegetable Pulao | Spinach Rice
Let’s see the pictorial step by step recipe of Vegetable Dum Biryani below. Hope you like it!
Step by Step Recipe of Veg Biryani:
- We need lot of ingredients to make Veg Biryani. Although I have shown only main ingredients in the picture, you will find complete list of ingredients with measurements in the recipe card below.
- Wash the Basmati rice 2-3 times and then soak for 20-30 mins. This step is important to make non-sticky rice.
- Roughly chop the vegetables and soak in salt water for 20 mins.
How to make fried onions:
- Thinly slice onion. In a pan, add sliced onions and oil. Start frying on a medium heat. Fry until golden brown.
- Once done, drain on the paper towel and leave for an hour or two. They eventually become crispy. Our fried onions are ready. You can also make a big batch and store in a ziploc.
How to make Rice:
- In a big pot, take 3 cups of water. Add few whole spices like green cardamom, black cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf and cloves. Add 2 tbsp oil and bring it to boil.
- Drain the water from soaked rice and add it to the pot. Cook until it’s 90% done.
- You need to keep an eye as it can cook quickly. Once done, drain the water and fluff the cooked rice with fork.
How to make Vegetable Gravy:
- Heat oil in another pan. Add bay leaf and whole spices.
- Now add sliced onions and saute. Cook until they turn pink.
- Add ginger garlic paste and slit green chilies.
- Once onions are cooked, add tomatoes and cook until mushy.
- Then add spices like turmeric, red chili powder, cumin coriander powder and salt.
- Saute and add washed vegetables. Cook covered for few minutes.
- Sprinkle shahi biryani masala over slightly cooked veggies and mix well.
- Once vegetables are cooked, add yogurt. Combine well and cook again for few minutes.
- Our vegetables gravy is now ready.
How to layer Biryani:
- Now take out some vegetable gravy in a bowl. Leftover vegetable gravy is our first layer. Now add cooked rice over this for our second layer. Sprinkle fried onions, chopped mint, chopped coriander leaves and saffron milk.
- Add remaining vegetables on the rice and spread evenly.
- Add another layer of rice on the top. Sprinkle fried onions, chopped mint and coriander leaves, saffron milk and some shahi biryani masala.
- Close the lid and seal the container with foil or dough. Cook this over low heat for 12-15 mins for dum cooking.
- Serve hot with yogurt raita and papad.
- 2 Onions thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 1.25 cups Basmati Rice
- 4 Cups Water
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1-2 Green cardamom
- 1 Black cardamom
- 1 Cinnamon
- 3-4 Cloves
- 1-2 Bay leaves
- 2 Cinnamon
- 1 Black Cardamom
- 2 Cloves
- 1 tsp Shahjeera
- 2 Onions finely chopped or sliced
- 1 Tomato finely chopped
- 2 cups Vegetables chopped
- 1½ tbsp Ginger garlic paste
- 2-3 Green chilies slit vertically
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Red chili powder
- 1 tsp Coriander cumin powder
- 2 tbsp Shahi Biryani Masala
- ¾ cup Curd/Yogurt
- Salt per taste
- Prepared Rice
- Prepared vegetable gravy
- Fried onions
- 10-15 Mint leaves
- ¼ cup Coriander leaves finely chopped
- 3 tbsp Milk
- 7-8 Saffron strands
- 1 cup Wheat dough
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Wash Basmati Rice 2-3 times and soak for 20-30 mins.
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Roughly chop vegetables and soak in salt water for 20 mins.
-
Thinly slice onion. In a pan, add sliced onions and oil. Start frying on a medium heat. Fry until golden brown. Once done, drain on the paper towel and leave for an hour or two. They eventually become crispy. Our fried onions are ready.
-
In a big pot, take 3 cups of water. Add few whole spices like green cardamom, black cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf and cloves. Add 2 tbsp oil and bring it to boil.
-
Drain the water from soaked rice and add it to the pot. Cook until it’s 90% done.
-
You need to keep an eye as it can cook quickly. Once done, drain the water and fluff the cooked rice with fork.
-
Heat oil in another pan. Add bay leaf and whole spices.
-
Now add sliced onions and saute. Cook until they turn pink.
-
Add ginger garlic paste and slit green chilies.
-
Once onions are cooked, add tomatoes and cook until mushy.
-
Then add spices like turmeric, red chili powder, cumin coriander powder and salt.
-
Saute and add washed vegetables. Cook covered for few minutes.
-
Sprinkle shahi biryani masala over slightly cooked veggies and mix well.
-
Once vegetables are cooked, add yogurt. Combine well and cook again for few minutes. Our vegetables gravy is now ready.
-
Now take out some vegetable gravy in a bowl. Leftover vegetable gravy is our first layer. Now add cooked rice over this for our second layer. Sprinkle fried onions, chopped mint, chopped coriander leaves and saffron milk.
-
Add remaining vegetables on the rice and spread evenly.
-
Add another layer of rice on the top. Sprinkle fried onions, chopped mint and coriander leaves, saffron milk and some shahi biryani masala.
-
Close the lid and seal the container with foil or dough. Cook this over low heat for 12-15 mins for dum cooking. Serve hot with yogurt raita and papad.
