Chettinad Vegetable Biryani / Kaikari Biryani

Chettinad Vegetable Biryani Recipe

Ingredients
Mixed Vegetables- 2 cups
Jeera Samba Rice- 3 cups
Small onions / shallots- 300 gms
Tomatoes large- 2 nos
Green chillies- 4 nos
Ginger and Garlic paste- 3 tbsp
Red chilli powder- 2 tsp
Coriander powder- 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Pudina leaves- 1 bunch
Coriander leaves- 1/4 bunch
Cashewnuts- 20 nos
Ghee- 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Water- 4 and 1/2 cups

Masala tempering
Bay leaves- 2 nos
Cinnamon stick 1" piece- 2 nos
Cardamom- 4 nos
Cloves- 6 nos
Marati moggu- 1 no
Annachi poo- little
Star Anise- 1 no
Oil- 1/4 cup

Kaikari Biryani

Method
Wash and dice the vegetables like potato, carrot into medium cubes, cauliflower into medium florets, slice green beans into 1" lengthwise and some green peas.
Peel and chop the shallots. Chop the tomatoes. Fry the cashewnuts in ghee until golden brown. Clean and chop both pudina and coriander leaves. Break the green chillies into half. Wash the rice and soak in 4 cups of water for 30 mins. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add the whole spices tempering to the hot oil and saute for 1 minute. Add onions and green chillies to the pan, saute until onion turns pale. Add the ginger and garlic paste and saute until raw smell of ginger and garlic leaves. Add chopped pudina and coriander leaves( reserve some to garnish) to the pan and saute for 1 minute. Add the mixed vegetables to the pan and fry for 3 minutes. At this stage add chopped tomatoes, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder to the vegetables and mix well until tomatoes are tender. Add a 1/4 cup water to the pan, cover with lid and bring veg mixture to boil. Once starts boiling, add soaked rice along with water and required salt to the pan. Stir well until 1/2 of the water is absorbed by the rice, reduce heat, cover pan with lid and pressure cook for about 7 to 8 mins on low heat or for 3 whistles. Once rice is cooked and tender, add fried cashew nuts along with ghee and add remaining pudina coriander leaves and mix well. Serve hot chettinad vegetable biryani with onion raita.

Vegetable Biryani Chettinad Style