A vegetable pulao that will give any mutton biriani a run for its money.

Basmati rice - 3 cups
Slices bread - 4
Cubed vegetables - 4 cups
Ghee - 1/2 cup
Cloves - 10
Green cardamoms - 6
Small stick cinnamon - 4
Salt - 2 tablespoon
Chilli powder - 1 tablespoon
Tomatoes chopped - 6

Grind together

Almonds - 20
Cloves garlic - 10
Grated ginger - 2 tablespoon
Green chillies - 2
Coriander seeds - 1 tablespoon
Poppy seeds - 2 tablespoon
Aniseeds - 1 tablespoon
Mint leaves - 10 – 12
Bunch green coriander - 1

Wash and soak the rice for half an hour. Drain. Spread on a try to dry.

Remove the crusts from the bread slices and cut into cubes. Deep fry in oil till golden. Remove on a paper so the extra oil can drain. Reserve.

Vegetables include cauliflower, french beans, carrot and peas. You may add any vegetable of your choice.

Heat 2 tablespoon ghee in a thick bottomed degchi. Season with the whole garam masala, slightly bruised. When they turn a shade darker, add the rice; fry till it looks parched. Add hot water, double the amount of rice and 13/4 tablespoon. Salt. Cover and cook on a low heat till the rice is done and the water evaporated. Keep aside.
Heat 2 tablespoon ghee in a karahi and add the vegatables. Stir fry 2 minutes. Add a little salt. Cover and cook over a low heat till done. Do not add water. The vegetables will cook in its own juice.

Heat the remaining ghee or oil in a pan and fry the onions till a light brown. Add the green chilli, saute a bit, add the ground masala and chilli paste. Stir fry till the raw smell disappears. Add chopped tomatoes and 1/2 tablespoon salt and cook till the tomatoes turn pulpy and well mixed with the masala.

Mix the vegetables into the masala and stir till the masala coats the vegetables. Add to the rice. Toss gently till everything is uniformly mixed.

Serve hot garnished with fried bread crontons. All it needs is a raita to complete the meal.

Ingredients
onions – 200 gm
potatoes – 250 gm
carrot – 100 gm
french beans – 50 gm
peas – 100 gm
curd – 200 gm
ghee – 100 gm
4 bay leaves
green cardamoms – 8
cloves – 6
stick cinnamon – 5 cm
chilli powder – 2 tsp
salt to taste
kewra water – 4 tsp
basmati rice – 4 cups
ginger paste – 2 tsp
Pinch of saffron or
A few drops of saffron colour (optional)

Method:
Cut all the vegetables in small pieces. Beat the curd.
Heat half the ghee in a pressure cooker. Season with 2 bay leaves and half the whole garam masala. When these turn a shade darker, add the vegetables, curd, chilli powder, salt and 2 tsp. Kewra water. Stir fry for a minute. Cover and bring to full pressure. Simmer for 30 secons and take off fire. Let the cooker cool on its own.
Strain the stock. Discard the bay leaves and garam masala and keep the vegetables separate. Add enough water or vegetable stock to the strained stock to measure 6 cups.
Clean the rice with a wet cloth. Do not wash. Mix half the remaining ghee with the rice.
Fry the rice in the cooker alongwith the remaining bay leaves, garam masalas and ginger paste for 2-3 minutes.
Add the stock (heated), salt (be careful the vegetables are also salted), vegetables, Kewra water and a pinch of saffron or a few drops of saffron colour, if using.
Close cooker and bring to full pressure. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes allow to cool naturally.
Stir biriani with a light hand before serving and serve with a raita.

ngredients:
Rice (boiled with grains separate) – 3 cups
Mixed vegetables of your choice
(chopped finely & parboiled) – 11/2 tbsps?
Tomato ketchup – 1 1/2 cups
Soya sauce – 1 tsp
Ajinomoto – 1/2 tsp
Spring onions with leaves (chopped finely) – 2
Garlic (chopped finely) – 5-6 cloves
Oil – 1 tbsp
Sugar – 1/2 tsp
Salt – to taste

Method: Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and aute the onions and garlic lightly for 2-3 minutes. Add etchup, soya sauce, ajinomoto, sugar, salt and mix :loroughly. Add the vegetables and saute for few linutes. Then add the rice, mix very well and serve hot.

Ingredients:
Chilli oil – 1 tbsp
Spring onion (shredded) – 1/4 cup
Cabbage (shredded) – 1/4 cup
French beans – (parboiled & shredded) – 1/4 cup
Carrot (parboiled & shredded) – 1/4 cup
Mushroom (parboiled & shredded) – 1/4 cup
Chicken (cooked & shredded) – 3/4 cup
Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Ginger paste – 1 tsp
Red chilli (cut into 6 pieces) – 1
Cornflour (mixed with 1 cup water) – 3 tbsp
Egg – 1
Chicken stock – 4 cups
Chilli sauce – 3/4 tsp
Soya sauce – 1 tbsp
Vinegar – 1 tsp
Sugar – 1 tsp
Ajinimoto – a pinch
Black pepper (powdered) – 1/4 tsp
Spring onion tops (finely chopped to garnish) – 1/4 cup
Chicken (cooked and shredded to garnish) – 2 tbsp

Method:
Heat the oil and add the ginger paste, garlic paste and dry red chilli. Fry for 1 minute, then add spring onion, cabbage, fresh beans, carrot and mushrooms. Stir fry over a high flame for 1 minute. Add the chicken, pepper, ajinomoto and salt. Stir fry in the same manner for 1 minute. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Combine the chicken stock, sugar, salt vinegar, soya sauce, chilli sauce and bring to a boil. Then simmer uncovered for 1 minute. Add the cornflour and stir well till the stock becomes thick. Then add the prepared vegetable and chicken mixture. Stir well and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Beat the egg lightly and pour into the soup, slowly and stirring continuously with a fork.
Serve hot garnished with shredded chicken and onions.

Malabar coast (kerala) probably got its taste of biryani directly from the middle east merchants. Chicken biryani is popular here, prepared in the ?Dum? cooking style. Malabar biryani is less spicy (though kerala is famous for spices) but tasty. The usual side dishes are onion ? tomato raita, date pickle and a black lemon tea (called suleimani) follows the meal.

Hyderabadi Biryani is?the usual type of Muslim Biryani normally prepared in Hyderabad. It is said?that when Nizam was in power, his kitchen boasted of 49 kinds of biryani! Usually Hyderabadi Biryani is made in Chicken or Mutton only.

Ingredients:

Basmathi Rice – 1 kg
Mushroom – 4 Gms. (or) Mushroom – 200 Gms, Carrot – 100 Gms, Beans – 100 Gms, Cabbage – 100 Gms, Cauliflower – 100 Gms andGreen Peas – 100 Gms. Cut into cubes of green peas sixe or lengthwise.
Onion 0 3 Nos finely chopped
Tomato – 3 Nos finely chopped
Green Chillies – 5 Nos
Garlic Flakes – 10 Nos
Grated Coconut – 2 Cups
Oil or Ghee or Dalda – 6 Tablespoon
Cinnamon – An onch
Ginger – An inch
Fennel Seeds – 1 Teaspoon
Clove 0 3 Nos
Turmeric Powder – 1 Teaspoon
Corriander Leaves – A handful
Mint Leaves – A Handful
Salt – To taste

Method:

Cut Mushroom and vegetables and cut to medium sized cubes or lengthwise.
Extract milk from the grated coconut and keep aside.
Grind together, fennel, garlic,?ginger, cloves, turmeric powder and green chiilies.
Heat a pan, add oil or ghee and then add onion, when it turns transparent add the?cinnamon, tomato and mushroom or mushroom and vegetables and saute for a while.
Add the Corriander leaves and the mint leaves.
Then add the ground masala mix and add the required amount of salt. Then add water?to the level all the items to immerse and then allow it to boil.?
Then add the briyani rice along with the watre, pre washed and soaked for an hour.
When half cooked add the coconut milk and mix together and allow to cook in low flame.
When the rice is fully cooked turn the rice slowly and keep it tightly closed for 20 minutes before serving.

Ingredients
Chicken??- 1/2 kilo
Basumathi rice?- 1/2 kilo (soaked for 1 hour)
Ghee???- 200 gms
Cloves??- 4
Cardamom??- 3
Cinnamon??- 1 Inch piece

Grind together
Ginger??- 1 Inch piece
Garlic???- 12 Peeled cloves
Onions??- 3 Chopped
Tomatoes big?- 2 Chopped
Green chillies?- 8 Slit
Mint leaves??- 1 Bunch
Coriander leaves?- 1 Bunch
Lime???- 1
Salt???- To taste

Method
Heat ghee in a pressure cooker, add cinnamon, cloves & cardamom, then add slit green chillies, chopped onions and fry.
Then add ground garlic ginger paste and fry for a few minutes, add cut and cleaned chicken pieces, chopped mint leaves, salt and fry well.
Add cut tomatoes mix well, add the soaked Basumathi rice, mix well, add double the amount of hot water, mix well, and cover the lid and pressure cook till done remove from fire, add lime juice and garnish with coriander leaves.