Vegetable Biryani South Africa Food

VEGETABLE BIRYANI

Steps:

• Add the cinnamon stick and cardamom to the rice, season with salt and cook as per packet instructions until half cooked. Drain the water, add a sprinkle of egg yellow food colouring, cover and set aside.
• Steam potatoes until almost cooked. Season with salt, shallow fry in a little oil and set aside
• Fry one onion until golden brown and crisp and set aside

SOUTH AFRICAN VEGETABLE BIRYANI

Steps:

• In a large, heavy skillet, fry the onions in the ghee until golden. With a slotted spoon, remove ⅓ of the slices, and set aside. Add to the pot, the ginger, garlic and chili paste. Fry for 5 or 6 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the lentils, peas, carrots and beans. Reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes. Add more ghee if necessary. Add tomatoes, spices and mint. Stir for 5 minutes. Pour in 1 cup of very hot water, cover and simmer until the vegetables are half-cooked. Add the rice, potatoes, salt and another 4 to 5 cups of hot water. Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is done and the water is absorbed. Garnish with the reserved onion slices.

MASALA RICE AND VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Make the rice: Place the rice in a sieve and rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear. Set aside.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, over medium-high heat. Add the golden raisins, almonds, turmeric, cumin seed, coriander seed, cardamom pods, and cinnamon stick and cook, stirring, until toasted and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until toasted, about 1 minute more. Add the water and salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, (wrap the lid tightly with a kitchen towel), cover, and steam until the rice is tender, 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
• Meanwhile, make the vegetables. Melt the butter in a medium straight-sided skillet with a tight-fitting lid, over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the golden raisins, almonds, coriander seed, cumin seed, and cardamom and cook, stirring, until toasted and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the cauliflower, green beans, potatoes, carrots, and salt. Raise the heat to high, pour in the water, and cook, covered, for 4 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender and most of the water has evaporated, about 1 1/2 minutes more.
• Add the rice to the vegetable mixture and, using a rubber spatula, stir to combine. Season with salt to taste. Divide the vegetable-rice mixture among plates and top with some of the toasted coconut and almonds. Serve immediately.

VEGETABLE BIRYANI

Steps:

• Melt ghee in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in cumin seed, cinnamon stick, and peppercorns; cook until the spices are fragrant, and the cumin seeds begin to pop, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in ginger garlic paste, tomatoes, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer, and cook until the water has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in peas, carrot, and potato. Season with chicken bouillon, salt, red chile, black pepper, garam masala, and turmeric. Stir well, then cover, and cook for 3 minutes.
• Pour in 4 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, stir in basmati rice, reduce heat to medium, recover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook until the rice has softened, 10 to 15 minutes more.

VEGETABLE BIRYANI (TEHRI)

Steps:

• Place rice in large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let soak for 20 minutes. Drain.
• Heat oil in a pressure cooker over medium heat. Add onion, cumin seeds, and bay leaves; cook and stir until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in potatoes and carrots; cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in turmeric, chile powder, and coriander; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir rice gently into the pressure cooker until evenly coated with oil. Pour in water and peas. Stir in salt, butter, and garam masala. Seal cooker and bring to high pressure according to manufacturer's instructions. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Release pressure naturally according to manufacturer's instructions. Fluff rice with a fork.

VEGETABLE BIRYANI (SOUTH AFRICA)

Steps:

• In a large, heavy skillet or stew pot, fry the onions in butter until they are golden brown. With a slotted spoon, remove about 1/3 of the slices and set aside.
• Add to the pot the ginger, garlic and chili paste, and fry for 5-6 minutes, stirring constantly. Then add the lentils, green peas, carrots and green beans. Reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes, adding more butter or a bit of oil if needed.
• Add the tomatoes, spices and mint, and stir for 5 minutes.
• Then pour a cup of hot water, cover, and simmer until vegetables are about half cooked.
• Add rice, potatoes, salt and another 4-5 cups of hot water (use the lesser amount if your vegetables have created quite a bit of liquid). Cover again, and cook for another 20-30 minutes until rice is done and water is absorbed.
• To serve, garnish with the reserved onion slices, and pass around a bowl of yogurt as a sauce.