It is a traditional celebration meal made using goat meat and rice and is a staple of Hyderabadi cuisine. This variety is popular as it is comes from the city of Hyderabad, India. The blending of mughlai and Telangana cuisines in the kitchens of the Nizam, ruler of the historic Hyderabad State, resulted in the creation of Hyderabadi Biryani.

This recipe is the vegetarian version of the Hyderabadi Biriyani. The biryani is typically accompanied with any or all of these ingredients

• Raita made with yogurt and onions
• Mirchi ka salan - a green chili curry
• A salad includes onion, carrot, cucumber, & lemon wedges
• Dhansak and Baghara baingan can also include side dishes.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup green beans diced
• ¼ cup carrots diced
• ½ cup potatoes diced
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• ¼ cup peas

Wet Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons of garlic paste
• 4 tablespoons ginger paster
• 1 cup sliced onions
• 2 tablespoons of green chillies paste

Dry Ingredients

• 2 cloves
• 1 inch stick of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 whole cardamoms
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 2 teaspoons of red chilli powder (or 3-4 whole red chillies)

Other Ingredients

• 2 cups of good quality basmati rice
• 1 cup of freshly chopped tomatoes
• ½ cup yogurt
• ½ cup freshly chopped mint leaves
• 1 pinch of saffron
• 1/2 cup of sliced and caramelized onions
• Salt to taste
• 3 - 4 tablespoon of Sunflower Oil/Vegetable oil

Method

Steam the vegetables until done and not over cooked.

Heat oil in a big sauce pan; add the wet ingredients; sauté on low/medium heat until it releases a nice aroma and also has changed color to a slight golden brown.

Now add the dry ingredients and sauté for a couple of more minutes.

Now add the chopped tomato and saute until it has turned soft and almost like a paste.

Add the yogurt, salt, saffron and mint leaves and the vegetables. Bring it to one boil.

With this masala being at the bottom of the pan, add the almost cooked rice on top of this masala, don't mix it as yet. Now cover the pan with a lid and let it sit for 15 more minutes on low heat. Turn off heat and let the biriyani sit for another 15-20 minutes, covered.

Finally add the add the caremelized onions and gently stir in the masala from the bottom into the rice. The flavors released are simply aromatic.

Note: Cooking Time and Water for each rice might vary. So at the end of the cooking process if you feel the rice is still a little hard, then add a little more water and cook on the lowest heat for a few more minutes.