North Indian Vegetarian

Veg Dum Biryani

Name: Veg Dum Biryani
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 5 servings
Cuisine: North Indian
Ingredients: 2 cups (400 g) aged long-grain basmati rice; 10–12 cups water; 1 tbsp salt; Whole spices: 1 bay leaf, 4 green cardamoms, 4 cloves, 1 small cinnamon stick, 1 star anise, 1 tsp shahi jeera (caraway); 1 tsp lemon juice; 400 g mixed vegetables: carrot, beans, cauliflower florets, peas, potato (cut into bite-size pieces); 100 g paneer cubes (optional); 1 cup thick yogurt, whisked; 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste; 2 green chillies, slit; 1½ tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder; ¼ tsp turmeric; 2 tsp biryani masala or garam masala; Half of the fried onions (below); A handful each of mint and coriander leaves, chopped; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tsp salt; 2 large onions, thinly sliced (for birista / fried onions); Oil for frying the onions; 3 tbsp ghee; A generous pinch of saffron soaked in ¼ cup warm milk; A handful of mint and coriander leaves; ½ tsp kewra or rose water (optional)

Fragrant layered veg dum biryani: spiced yogurt-marinated vegetables, basmati, fried onions, mint and saffron, sealed and slow-steamed.

By Dhruv Agrawat

North IndianVeg Dum Biryani

Prep: 40 min
Cook: 50 min
Total: 90 min
Serves: 5
Effort: Involved

A great biryani is about layers and patience: vegetables marinated in yogurt and spices, basmati cooked only three-quarters of the way, crisp brown onions, mint, saffron milk and ghee — all sealed in one pot and finished slowly on dum (steam), so the rice absorbs every aroma.

It's a weekend project, but none of the steps are difficult. Read through once, get your ingredients ready, and the rest flows.

Ingredients

Rice

Vegetable marinade

Layering

Method

Prepare

Marinate the vegetables

Parboil the rice

Cook the vegetable layer

Layer and dum

Tips that make the difference

Use aged basmati — it stays long and separate. New rice turns sticky.
70% cooked is the key number: the rice finishes on dum. Fully cooked rice turns mushy.
Crisp, well-browned onions (birista) give biryani most of its depth. Don't rush them.
A heavy-bottomed pot and the tawa underneath prevent a burnt base during dum.

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