Lucknowi Biryani Recipe with step by step pics. Cook restaurant style Lucknowi Veg. biryani with vegetables. How to cook Lucknowi Veg. Biryani. Rice and Vegetables cooked with aromatic spices in dum style.
To milk, add the saffron strands and let t stand for 15-20 minutes while dong the other preparations.
Cook Rice
Wash rice 2-3 times in running water and soak for at least 1hr.
In a pan add water enough to cook rice. Add the whole spices and let the water boil.
Once the water boils, add rice and salt to it and cook till 80% done. Drain rice in a strainer, add ghee to it and spread on a flat tray or dish. Keep it aside.
Fry Onions
In a kadhai or heavy bottomed pan, add ghee/oil, when it hot enough, add onions and fry to dark brown and crispy on medium heat. Take care not to burn the onions. You can add 1 tsp of sugar to speed up the caramelization.
Once the onions are done, take out from the kadhai, drain the oil and keep aside.
Prepare the vegetables
In bowl, add yogurt and all the powdered spices under Vegetables section. Leave the whole spices.
Add vegetables to it, mix well and keep covered till we use it. If you want to skip marinating the veggies, steam the veggies for 2-3 minutes in hot water, drain and keep aside. Add to the masala directly while adding the vegetables.
Cook Vegetables
In the same oil, add the whole spices and cumin seeds. Add finely chopped onions and fry for a minute. Add ginger garlic and green chilli paste.
Cook till the raw smell of garlic goes and onions are light brown.
Add the marinated vegetables and mix well. Add salt and mix well. If you are add veggies and yogurt separately add all the powdered spices , mix well.
Add 1/2 Cup water, cover and cook till vegetables are soft. If water dries add 1/4 more.
Assembling rice and vegetable masala for biryani
In a heavy bottomed pan, coat the bottom of pan with a mix of yogurt/curd (1 tsp) and ghee(1/2 tsp). This avoid sticking of rice at the bottom and burning.
Take 1/3 rice and layer, spread in the curd and ghee coating. Add 1-2 tsp of saffron milk, some fried onions.
Take 1/2 vegetable masala and spread evenly on the rice layer.
From the rest of rice, take half rice and repeat layering the rice with saffron milk, fried onions,then spread rest of the vegetable masala.
Finally, spread the rest of rice on the vegetable masala, add the rest of saffron milk, kewra essence, roughly torn mint leaves and add 1-2 tsp of melted desi ghee.
Cover the pan with a foil or with a thick rolled dough. Seal tightly and put the cover.
Cooking on stovetop
Switch on the stove-top on medium flame on it keep a girdle or tawa and put the biryani pan on it. Cook on dum for 20-30 minutes
In microwave
Arrange the rice and vegetable masala in a microwave safe bowl, keep a loose lid over the bowl and microwave it for 10-15 minutes,
In Oven
Arrange rice and vegetable in an oven-safe dish. Bake biryani in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes
Serve with the raita of your choice.
Notes
To prepare Biryani Masala at home -->click here. You can also use store bought Biryani Masala.If you are adding Garam Masala in place of Biryani Masala, it is preferable to add 1 mace along with whole spices, 1 tsp nutmeg powder while marinating the vegetables.