Hyderabadi Dum Biryani, Vegetarian with Mirchi ka salan

Show me one self-respecting Hyderabadi who doesn’t like Biryani and I’ll cook you a free meal! ;-)

I love it too, but I don’t generally prefer eating Biryanis at restaurants. I’d love to eat my mother-in-law’s Biryani which she makes with amazing precision week after week (and is simply awesome, btw. Recipe for that will follow soon!) or make my own imitation of hers (which is also good, but seriously my MIL rocks!)

Talking about who rocks, my friend Deepu is a good cook. Actually, strike that out. She is awesome, plain awesome. The husband says that she has some magic in her fingertips and that even the simplest dish she makes tastes awesome. He has his own reasons to praise her so much (she apparently made the best omelette ever, and this came from the man who eats omelettes in the fanciest of the places and still makes a face at the cook!), but I agree with him.

This is one such magical dish she made for one of those lunches. I could feel the breeze turning pleasant and birds singing in my ears with the first morsel and it didn’t stop with that. She was more than glad to share the recipe with me, which I followed to the T and made great Biryani. Yep, it feels like I’ve mastered the Biryani and some more… ;)

Vegetarian Hyderabadi Dum Biryani

Recipe Courtesy – Deepu, my friend who is a brilliant cook!
Level – Medium
Preparation time – 30 min, excluding the marinade and cooking time
Serves - 4

Ingredients

Potatoes - 3 , peeled, cube and sautéed in 1 1/2 Tbsps of ghee till light brown
Onion - 1 large, finely sliced
Coriander leaves - 1 Tbsp, chopped
Mint leaves - 1 Tbsp, chopped
Ghee - 2 Tbsps
Oil - 1 Tbsp
Thick curd/yogurt - 1 cup
Green chillies - 4, make a small slit in them
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 Tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1 Tsp (or to taste)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 Tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 Tbsp
Salt - as required
Biryani Masala powder - 3/4 Tbsp [I use Everest Shahi Biryani Masala]
Saffron – a pinch
Milk – 1/2 C

To cook rice -
Basmati rice - 2 cups
Cloves - 3
Cardamoms - 3
Cinnamon stick - 1/2"
Marathi moggu – 1 (optional)
Bay leaf - 1
Mint leaves - 5-6
Oil - 1/2 Tbsp
Salt - 3/4 Tbsp
Water as required

Instructions

In a bowl, add green chillies, mint leaves, coriander leaves and ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, biryani masala powder and salt and combine well. Add the sautéed potato cubes and yogurt and combine. Marinate for 30 min.

Cook basmati rice in lots of water along with bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, marathi mogga, cardamom, mint leaves, oil and salt till its half cooked. Strain the water and spread the rice on a large wide plate.

Heat 1 Tbsp oil + 1 Tbsp ghee in a vessel, add sliced onions, sauté for 8-10 min till caramelized. Remove and keep aside.

Take a wide deep vessel to prepare the biryani. Add drizzle some oil all over, add the marinated potato cubes along with the rest of the marinade and spread out in the vessel. Add a cup of water and cook till the potatoes are fork tender and the gravy thickens.

Next spread the rice over the potato layer, pour 1/2 Tbsp of ghee all over the rice, spread the caramelized onions (keep aside a Tbsp of caramelized onions for garnish) over the rice layer. Next sprinkle coriander leaves and pour the saffron milk over the rice.

Place lid and over the lid place a heavy weight (you can put a vessel containing water on this lid, but be careful). Cook on medium high flame for 3 min. Remove the vessel from fire and place a iron tawa over low flame. Place back the vessel on the iron tawa and cook on low flame and cook biryani for 15 min. Turn off heat and do not remove lid for 5 min.

Remove lid, combine gently, remove onto a serving bowl. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and caramelized onions and serve hot with raita and/or curry of your choice.
I served this with Raita and mirchi ka salan (Recipe below)

Mirchi ka Salan

Serves - 4
Level – Medium
Preparation time – 20 min

Ingredients

Green chilli - 5, large ones
Sesame seeds -  2 Tbsp
Coriander seeds - 2 Tbsp
Cumin seeds -  2 Tbsp
Poppy seeds - 1 Tbsp [Optional]
Peanuts -  1 Tbsp, roasted and de-skinned
Dry red chillies - 1
Ginger garlic paste -  1/2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 Tsp
Curry leaves - 6-8
Onion - 1 medium sized, chopped
Turmeric powder - a large pinch
Tamarind paste - 1 Tbsp
Salt, to taste

Instructions

Wash, wipe and slit green chillies lengthwise without cutting the chillies into two.
Heat sufficient olive oil in a kadai (wok) and deep-fry for one minute.
Drain and place on absorbent paper and set aside.

To make masala paste, dry roast sesame, coriander, poppy and cumin seeds.
Cool and grind them to a paste along with peanuts, ginger and garlic.

Heat two tablespoons oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, let them splutter and add curry leaves.
Sauté for half a minute and add onion.
Sauté, stirring continuously, till onion is light golden brown.
Add turmeric powder and mix well.
Add masala paste and cook for three minutes, stirring constantly.
Stir in one and half cups of water and bring it to a boil.
Reduce the heat and cook for ten minutes.
Add tamarind pulp (dissolved in half a cup of water, if it is too thick).

Add fried green chillies and salt and cook on low heat for eight to ten minutes. Serve hot with Biryani.