RECIPE : Vegetarian Briyani

Hey! 

I don't normally post recipes on my blog as this is more like a personal site but I'm so bored at home that I decided to be kind. Hah!

Since Thaipusam is just around the corner, I'm sure a lot of Indians are craving for briyani but apakah daya , vegetarian broooooo, vegetarian. Hahaha. *evil laugh* It's okay if you can't eat meat items and craving for briyani cuz hey, we always have an alternative vegetarian version of non-vege meals right? 

Anyway, here's the vegetarian briyani recipe I learnt and decided to try at home. (I always add more onions and veges and spices, so it's up to you to control the ingredients according to your own taste bud alright?)

Ingredients

• Basmathi rice - 1 cup
• Oil  - 2tbsp (I used a lot of ghee instead)
• Bay leaf 
• Cinnamon stick
• Cloves - 2
• Coconut milk - 2 cups
• Fennel seeds - 1.5 tsp
• 1 inch Ginger (finely chopped) 
• 1 Big Onion (diced)
• 1/2 tomato (diced)
• 2 green chillies 
• 10 mint leaves (roughly chopped)
• Salt
• Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander leaves (about 4-5 sprigs, roughly chopped)

Method

1. Heat oil/ ghee and add in bay leave, cinnamon, cloves and fennel seeds. 
2. Add in ginger, garlic and green chillies. Fry well until the raw smell goes off and add in onions and fry well.
3. Add in tomato and fry well until it turns mushy. 
4. Add in washed basmathi rice and stir well after sprinkling with salt to taste until they're coated well with the oil and spices. 
5. Add in the chopped mint leaves.
6. Transfer to cooker. This is how it should look like;
7. I added a generous amount of frozen mixed vegetables in my dish. It's optional. As I said, it all depends on your own preference. 
   
8. Pour in the coconut milk (I used plain water) and let it cook. This is how it should look like after it's done. You may add in the coriander leaves now and mix well. 
   
9. Just sprinkle a little bit of yellow colouring and mix well only on the top part. Mix everything up after leaving it for a while. This is how it should look like when it's done, with bits of white rice showing. This step is purely optional. Hahaha. 
   
10. Your briyani is ready to be served! :D 

I served mine with spicy chicken varuval and onion raita. 

Let me know how yours turned out with the coconut milk! Remember, you can always add in extra spices or vegetables like diced carrots if you want. You're the chef!:) 

Shanu. x