Layered Vegetable Biryani

Biryanis...Oh I just love them and preparing some has been a thing that I always wanted to do. In the evening, we had been to a grocery store for the weekly veggie stuff and when we returned, I just felt like doing it today, so there was my knife chopping the vegetables on one side and the rice getting cooked on the other, and in an hour the Biryani was all set to land on my table.

Here I'm sharing the simple recipe of this Tri-colored Layered Vegetable Biryani.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Health Meter: Rice is an excellent source of energy, especially energy-giving carbohydrates, which are used in the body for brain performance, physical activity, bodily functions and everyday growth and repair.

Fun Fact: Did you know it takes 5,000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of irrigated rice?

Ingredients:

1. Rice : 2 bowls

2. Water: 5 bowls

3. Salt: 1 tbs

4. Saffron Strands: 4-5

5. Milk: 1/4 cup

For the Yellow Layer:

1. Potatoes: 2 (very thin, sliced)

2. Eggplant: 1 (sliced)

3. Onions: 2 ( Take out rings)

4. Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp

5. Red Chilli Powder: 1 tbs

6. Coriander Powder: 2 tbs

7. Garam Masala: 1 tsp

8. Salt: 2 tbs or as per taste

9. Oil: 3 tbs

For the Green layer:

1. Green Peas: 1 cup

2. Green Bell pepper: 1 (finely chopped)

3. Paneer (crumbled/tiny pieces)

4. Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp

5. Coriander Powder: 1 tsp

6. Salt: 1 and 1/2 tbs or as per taste

7. Oil: 2 tbs

For the Red Layer:

1. Tomatoes - 3 (sliced)

2. Turmeric Powder: 1 /4 tsp

3. Coriander Powder: 1 tsp

4. Red Chill Powder: 1/2 tsp

5. Salt: 1and 1/2 tsp or as per taste

6. Oil: 2 tbs

Method:

1. We'll cook the rice first. Cook the rice with the water in an open pan/ cooker. When the rice is almost cooked (check the consistency by pressing some rice in between your fingers and you should find it just a bit granular now), pour out extra water and cover the pan with a lid. Heat for 2 minutes and switch it off. Keep this cooked rice aside.
2. On the other side, when the rice is getting cooked, cut all the vegetables. 
3. Now we'll prepare all the layers one by one.
4. Take oil in a pan and deep fry the onion rings on medium flame. When they turn golden brown, add the potato slices followed by the eggplant. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes. Now add all the spices and cover the pan for 5 minutes. Be sure that it doesn't get burnt. Check if the potatoes are cooked else add a few drops of water and cover for some more time. Our Yellow Layer is ready.
5. Now take oil in another pan and add oil to it. Heet it. Add capsicum/bell pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Now add green peas followed by paneer. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Add all the spices and cover the pan for 5 minutes. Mix it well. The Green Layer is ready.
6. Now take oil in a pan and heat it. Add tomatoes followed by the spices and cook for 4-5 minutes. The Red Layer is ready.
7. Now we'll layer the Biryani. Take a deeper pan/bowl. First put some cooked rice at the bottom. Layer it next with the Yellow mixture. Then layer it with some rice followed by the Green Mixture. Again layer it with rice and then with the Red Mixture. Lastly layer it with rice.
8. Take the saffron milk and pour over the rice. Cover the pan or bowl and heat for 3-4 minutes on low flame. Switch the heat off and let it stand for 10 minutes so that the aroma sets in well.
9. Serve hot with curd/raita/yogurt and go colorful. :)

Tips:

1. To add an extra spicy flavor, you could use 'khada garam masala' instead of the 'garam masala' available in the market.
2. It's not necessary to use all the vegetables as mentioned in the recipe. You could personalize it with the veggies of your choice. Also, you could replace 'paneer' by 'mushroom'  or something else. The more creative you go, the happier you'll be at last.
3. If you don't have ample time and need a 'quick biryani', simply cook all the vegetables together and mix them with the separately cooked rice; though it would not come in layers, but the looks will still be aesthetic and taste good. :)
4. For making 'Dum Biryani', keep the rice slightly undercooked and place these layers in a rice cooker. Pour 1/2 cup saffron milk instead of 1/4 cup and seal the outer rim of the lid with roti aata/dough and cook for the next 7 minutes on low flame. Turn off the heat and wait for 5 minutes more. The 'dum' created inside will give an altogether different flavor. 

Submitting this recipe to:

Sinful Delights by Vardhini's Kitchen