Vegetable Biryani

This recipe belongs to Manish. He taught me how to make biryani :) and now Kalyani has asked for the recipe. SO here you go Ms. Kaly :)

Rice:
3 cups basmati rice - 3/4th cooked with bay leaves and 2 cloves
Dried mint crushed- 3-4 tbspn
Lemon juice- 2 tspn
Salt- 1 tbspn

Masala:
1 - packet (1lb) frozen mix veg (corn, beans, peas, carrots)
2 potatoes - chopped
3 onions
1 cup grated ginger
4-5 cloves garlic
2-3 whole black pepper
2-3 cloves
2 green chillies
2 tspn cumin seeds
3 tomatoes - pureed
1 1/2 cup yogurt
Shan Biryani masala - 1 packet

Method:
In a microwave safe bowl add water and chopped potato and cook it for 5 mins. The drain out the water and keep potatoes aside. Then in another microwaves safe bowl add frozen veggies and water and boil them for 7-8 mins stirring it in between. Drain out  all the water.

Grind onion, ginger, garlic, black pepper, cloves, green chillies and cumin seeds together.
Heat oil in a pan. Add onion paste to it. Let the onion paste cook completely. Then add pureed tomato to it.
Let the tomato cook completely. Then add  yogurt, red chilli  powder(to taste) and shan biryani masala to it. Once the masala leaves oil on the sides then add salt to it. When masala is completely cooked then add veggies to it. Let the veggies cook for 10-15 mins on medium-low heat.

On the side cook rice(3/4th done) with Cloves and bay leaves. Spread the rice in a plate to let it cool down completely. When rice cools down completely then add dried mint powder, salt and lemon juice to it and make sure that you coat the rice properly.

Then in an oven safe dish put one layer of rice and top it with a layer of veggies masala. Repeat the process once again. And rice should be the final layer on the top. Then just drill some holes in the layered biryani(4-5) and add few drops of milk in each one.

At 350C cook biryani for about 15-20 mins till eat is hot from inside as well. You can garnish the biryani with some sauteed red onions.