Vegetable Biryani

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup rice (chawal)
2. 2 pinches of saffron (kesar) strands
3. 2 onions, sliced
4. 2 tbsp broken cashewnuts (kaju)
5. 2 tbsp raisins (kismis)
6. 3 tomatoes, finely chopped
7. 2 capsicums, sliced
8. 1 1/2 cups mixed boiled vegetables
9. 1 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania)
10. a little milk
11. 4 tbsp ghee
12. salt to taste
13. 6 cloves of garlic(lehsun)paste
14. 25 mm. piece ginger(adrak)paste
15. 3 cardamoms (elaichi)
16. 4 green chillies
17. 3 cloves (laung / lavang)
18. 1 tbsp poppy seeds (khus-khus)
19. 2 sticks cinnamon (dalchini)
20. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
21. 1/2 tsp chilli powder
22. 2 onions
23. 6 mint leaves (phudina)

For baking
2 tbsp ghee
Method:

• You can take cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, green peas as the mixed vegetables.
• Boil the rice. Each grain of the cooked rice should be separate. Drain and cool.
• Warm the saffron in a small vessel, add a little water and rub until it dissolves.
• Add the saffron liquid and salt to the cooked rice. Mix well.
• Heat the ghee and fry the onions until brown. Remove the onions and in the same ghee, add the cashewnuts and raisins and fry for a few seconds. Remove and keep aside for decoration.
• In the same ghee, add the paste and fry for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and capsicum and fry again for 2 to 3 minutes. If you like, sprinkle a little water. Add the boiled vegetables and coriander and cook for a while.
• Put 2 tablespoons of ghee at the bottom of a baking bowl. Make layers of the rice and vegetables, beginning and ending with rice.
• Sprinkle a little milk on top. Cover and bake in a hot oven at 200 degree C (400 degree F) for 15 to 20 minutes.
• psjust before serving, turn upside down on a serving plate, garnish with fried onions, cashewnuts and raisins and serve hot.