Vegan Vegetable Biryani

Behold! An authentic vegan vegetable biryani  Biryani recipe with simple, easy-to-follow instructions (no curveballs!) and mouthwatering, traditional  Indian flavor. This recipe includes tips on getting fluffy rice, tender vegetables, and the distinct biryani taste-tested to perfection!
I have always been a massive fan of biryani, and my friend makes my favorite one. 

   This is inspired by her recipe. It is a vegan version of her classic Hydrabadi biryani. This is a dum-style cooked biriyani that I personally love. Perhaps one of the famous Indian rice biriyani recipes is made with a combination of vegetables and spices. It is a vegetarian version of the meat biriyani with biriyani rice dum cooked inside the pan, where dum is created by sealing the pan with wheat or any other kind of dough.

Firstly, in a thick bottomed deep vessel spread in a layer of prepared biryani gravy.

Further layer with cooked rice.
Also, sprinkle a few chopped mint, coriander, fried onions, and saffron water.
As a third layer, spread biryani gravy.
Repeat layering with cooked rice, saffron water, fried onions, and biryani masala.
Also, top with a tbsp of oil, mint, and coriander.
Close and seal with dough.
Simmer for 15 minutes.
Finally, serve Hyderabadi dum biryani with vegan raita 

HOW TO GET THE AUTHENTIC FLAVOR OF BIRYANI

 The most challenging part of making biryani is getting that authentic flavor, especially since we are making a vegan version of this classic dish. Here's what I've found:

A key component in getting the authentic flavor is using much more spice (whole and ground) than you would for a typical curry. The vegetable and curry should have intense flavor, and otherwise, it's likely to mellow out when combined with the rice.
Leading into this, there should be plenty of curry or 'wet masala 'to the vegetables.
Lastly, the steaming (dum) is extremely important in marrying the flavors to give it the distinct biryani taste and aroma..REALLY BIRYANI IS ALL ABOUT THE STEAMING -DUM as it's traditionally called.

 When steam permeates the rice, spices, herbs, and vegetables, it infuses the biryani with so much flavor that each bite is a treat.

WHAT POT TO USE FOR STEAMING/DUM

Though you can use any pot or pan you'd like to prepare the vegetables and parboil the rice, a Dutch oven or deep pot (at least 5 qt) will be helpful for the steaming ('dum') stage.

Heavy-bottomed or cast iron dutch ovens take longer to develop steam, but they are better at preventing the rice from sticking to the pot.
The goal during the steaming stage is to keep the steam inside, and deep, straight-edged pots are better at retaining moisture.

LAYERING THE  BIRYANI

I've kept the layering simple, but you can make it as festive as you'd like by fried onions or green chili peppers in between or on top of the vegetables and rice.

Ingredients

For rice:
8 cups water
2 bay leaf / tej patta
 1-inch cinnamon stick
 ½ tsp cloves
 1-star anise
½ tsp pepper
2 tsp oil
 1 tsp salt
 1½ basmati rice (soaked for 20 minutes)
For biryani gravy:
 2 tbsp oil
1 bay leaf / tej patta
 2-inch cinnamon stick
 ½ tsp cloves
1-star anise
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 cardamom
 1 onion (finely chopped)
 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

2 cups mixed vegetables (carrot, cauliflower peas, potato chopped), can of garbanzo beans (washed and cleaned)
 1 cup vegan yogurt 
 1 tsp Kashmiri red chily powder
½ tsp turmeric
 2 tsp biryani masala powder
1 tsp salt
 2 tsp coriander-mint paste
1 cup water

Other ingredients:
¼ cup mint
 ¼ cup coriander (chopped)
1 tbsp oil 
 ½ cup fried onions
 ¼ cup saffron water
 pinch of biryani masala powder
 wheat dough or any other gluten free dough (to seal)

Directions

To prepare rice for the Biryani,
1- first, in a large vessel, boil 8 cups water along with 2 bay leaves, 1 inch cinnamon stick, ½ tsp cloves, 1-star anise, ½ tsp pepper 2 tsp oil, and 1 tsp salt.
2-Now add 1½ basmati rice, soaked for 20 minutes. Stir well.
further boil for 10 minutes or till the rice is almost cooked. (do not cook the rice thoroughly, as it will get cooked in dum while preparing Biryani)
drain off the water and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Keep aside.

Recipe of biryani gravy:

 1- In a large pan, heat 2 tbsp oil 

2-Add 1 bay leaf, 2-inch cinnamon stick, 2 tsp cloves, 1-star anise, 2 cardamoms, 1 tsp shah jeera. Saute till the spices turn aromatic.

3-add in 1 finely chopped onion and saute well.

4- add 1 tsp ginger garlic paste and saute.

5-Now add 2 cups of mixed vegetables (carrot, cauliflower, peas, potato, garbanzo beans ) and saute for 2 minutes.

6-Additionally add 1 cup vegan curd, 1 tsp chilly powder, ½ tsp turmeric, 2 tsp biryani masala powder, 1 tsp salt, and 2 tsp coriander mint paste.
Saute on low flame. 

7-Further, add 1 cup water. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
Cook till the vegetables is almost cooked.

Layering the Biryani

1- In a thick bottomed deep vessel spread in a layer of prepared biryani gravy.
2- Further layer with cooked rice.
Also, sprinkle a few chopped mint, coriander, fried onions, and saffron water.
3-As a third layer, spread biryani gravy.
4-Repeat layering with cooked rice, saffron water, fried onions, and biryani masala.
5-Also, top with a tbsp of oil, mint, and coriander.
6-Close and seal with dough.
Simmer for 15 minutes.
7-Finally, serve Hyderabadi dum biryani with vegan  raita . Enjoy!!

Tips::
 If you do not want to seal with dough, just cover with aluminum foil and cook.
Also, add vegetables of your choice to make it more nutritious.
Additionally, use a thick bottomed vessel and cook the biryani on low flame, else the biryani might burn at the bottom.
Finally, Hyderabadi veg dum biryani tastes great when served after 2-3 hours of preparation.