Vegetable Dum Biryani

Actually i am reposting this post as its our SNC challenge for this month.....I made this year back when i did even started my blog ....This is the reason i have only 1 photograph...

INGREDIENT

For Rice Layor:

1.5 cup basmati rice

2 green cardamoms

1 black cardamoms

2 cloves

1' Cinnamon

1 Bay leaf

4 cups Water

1tsp Salt

The Vegetable Layor:

1/4 Cauliflower(florets removed)

1 Carrot (cubed)

1 Potato (cubed)

1 cup French beans(chopped)

1/2 cup Peas

1/2 Onion (finely sliced)

1 green chili, slit

2 tbsp Ginger (chopped)

1 tbsp Garlic (chopped)

2 green cardamom

2 black cardamoms

2 cloves

1 cinnamon of 1 inch

1 bay leaf

2 mace strands

1/2Cup Whisked curd

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Red chili powder

2 tbsp Cashewnuts

2 tbsp almonds, blanched, peeled and sliced

3 tbsp ghee

Salt to taste

Herbs and Spices for the assembling:

1/2 cup chopped coriander/cilantro leaves

a few saffron strands

3tbsp Brown Onions

1/2 cup milk

1tsp ghee

DIRECTIONS

Cooking the Rice:

• Pick and clean the rice in running water. Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes.
• Now cook the rice with all the spices mentioned above, salt. till its 3/4th done. The rice should not be fully cooked but almost cooked.

Making the Vegetable Gravy:

• Heat ghee in the pan/handi.Add all whole spices : cardamoms, mace, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves. Fry them till they crackle.(5 seconds)
• Now add the onions. Fry the onions till golden brown.Add the green chilli, ginger and garlic. Fry for a minute.
• Add the turmeric and red chili powder.Give the mixture a stir.
• Now add the vegetables and stir for a minute.Add the curd.Stir and then add 3/4 cup water plus salt. Stir the mixture well.
• Bring the entire vegetable mixture to a boil. Then simmer until the vegetables are cooked. Remove from heat.
• Add the dry fruits – almonds, raisins and cashew nuts to the vegetable gravy.

Assembling the Biryani and slow cooking it on Dum:

• Warm the milk. Add saffron to it. Let this saffron-milk mixture cool. Add the ghee to this mixture and mix well.
• In the same handi with the cooked vegetables, spread half of the rice.sprinkle half of saffron-flavored milk and coriander leaves.Repeat same to make another layor.
• Sprinkle the remaining saffron-milk,1 tbsp fried onions and coriander leaves on top of rice.
• Then seal with wheat flour dough. I was too lazy to make the wheat dough, so I kept a heavy weight on the lid.
• Take a tava/griddle and heat it on medium flame. Now keep the sealed handi on the tava. Keep the flame to the lowest and cook for 20-25 minutes.
• Serve it with your choice of raita, onion-mint salad-kuchumber, mango pickle, roasted papad.

# If you like ,you can sprinkle rose water between layer. 
## While serving you can top it with some fried dry fruits.