Paneer Biryani

Variety tangy biyani made of Paneer(Cottage Cheese). This recipe serves 4.

Basmati Rice – 1 cup ( soaked for 30 mins)
Water – 1 cup
Paneer / Fried paneer – 1 packet cubed
Onion – 1 sliced thinly
ginger garlic paste – 1 tblspoon
Tomatoes – 2 chopped finely
Curd – ½ cup
Ghee – 1 tblspn
Oil- 2 tblspn
Cumin Seeds /Shahjeera – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – ½ tbl spoon
Chilli powder ( optional) for little spicy flavour– 1 tbl spoon 
Salt -  according to taste
Fried Onions – for Garnishing
khasoori methi (dried Methi leaves)– 2 tlspoons
green chillies – 2 slit
Coriander leaves – for garnishing
Coriander paste (Swad brand)- 2 tblspoons
Mint leaves ( dry leaves or fresh )– 2 leaves
Cinnamon / – 1 small stick
Black Cardamom  – 4
Biryani leaf/Bay leaf – 2 leaves
Cloves  – 4
Star Anise – 1

Preparation:

1. Wash Basmati rice and soak for 30 mins.
2. Fry Paneer cubes in 1 tblspoon of oil if not using Fried Paneer cubes. 
3. In a big vessel/Kadai , heat oil and ghee and add cumin seeds, Cinnamon ,Black Cardamom,Biryani leaf,Cloves,Star Anise and let them splutter.
4.  Add in onions and cook till golden brown. Add with salt and mix well. 
5. Now add ginger garlic paste and fry until raw smell leaves.
6. Now add coriander paste ( or grind bunch of coriander leaves and 2 greenchillies with pinch of salt into fine paste) and mix well. Cook until the paste and the onions mix well.
7. Add slit greenchillies and fry for few minutes.
8. Add in tomatoes and cook till mushy.
9. Add Khasoori methi , turmeric powder, chilli powder and mint leaves.
10. Add in curd and fried paneer pieces and mix well. At this time, the paneer cubes should be well mixed and marinated with the total masala. Keep the lid on the kadai for 2 mins.
11. Now, take the lid off and Add rice and water and gently mix the entire contents with rice and keep the lid on the kadai and cook rice on medium flame. It should take 15-20 minutes to cook the rice.
12. After 20 minutes, take the lid off and check if the rice is cooked. If not, sprinkle little water on the rice and keep the lid and cook for another 5 minutes.
13. You can cook the rice in pressure cooker instead of kadai.
14. Once the rice is cooked, garnish with coriander leaves and fried onions.
15. Serve hot with raitha.

Tomato Rice ( Tomato Biryani)

Another variety flavored rice cooked with tomatoes.

Preparation Time : 15 mins
Soaking Time : 30 mins
Cooking Time : 40 to 45 mins
Serves : 4 to 5

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 2 cups
Oil - 3 tblspn
Cinnamon / Pattai - 2 inch stick
Cardamom / Yelakai - 4
Shahjeera/Jeera - 2 tsp
Onion - 1 large sliced thinly
Green Chilli - 2 pricked with a knife 
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tblspn
Tomatoes - 4 large Chopped finely
Chilly powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric Powder / Manjal Podi - 1 tsp 
Garam Masala Powder - 1 tblspn
Salt to taste
Coriander Leaves - 1/4 cup finely chopped
Mint Leaves - 1/4 cup finely chopped 
Water - 2 cup / 500 ml (same cup you used for measuring rice) 
curd – 1 cup
khasoori methi – 1 tblspoon
Method: 
1. Wash and soak basmati rice for 30 mins. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat oil in a kadai. Add in cinnamon, shahjeera and cardamom. Let them sizzle for a min.

3. Now add in onions and green chillies. Saute them till golden brown. Add salt to make onions crunchy.

4. Add in ginger garlic paste and saute for a min.

5. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and garam masala powder. Mix well.

6. Now add curd and mix with the masala well.

7. Now add in the chopped tomatoes and mix them all with the  masala. Let them cook for 2 mins until tomatoes turn mushy.
8. Add, khasoori methi to the mixture and stir well.
9. Add in coriander and mint leaves to the mixture. The masala is done.
10. Add rice and water to this masala and mix well. Keep the lid on the kadai and let the rice cook for 15 minutes on medium flame.
11.  After 15 minutes, take the lid off and check if the rice is done. If not, then sprinkle handful of water on the rice and keep the lid on and cook for 5 mins on medium flame.
12. Serve hot with Raitha.

Semiya / Vermicelli Biryani: ( Biryani made of Sevai/Semiya upma)

Ingredients:

Semiya /Sevai – 1 cup
water – 1.5 cups
cloves – 3
bay leaf – 2 leaves
cinnamon sticks – 2
shahjeera – 2 tblspoons
oil – 2 tblspoons
Green cardamom – 2 pieces
ginger garlic paste – 1.5 tblspoon
greenchillies – 2 slit
onions chopped – 1 big onion
tomatoes chopped – 1 medium tomato
carrots/beans/peas – chopped finely and boiled – 1 cup
salt – according to taste
turmeric powder – 1 tblspoon
chilli powder – 1 tblspoon
coriander powder – ½ tbl spoon
mint leaves – 5 leaves
Corinader leaves – 2 stalks
Curd – 2 tblspoons
lemon juice (Optional)– 2 tblspoons

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan . Add Shahjeera, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger garlic paste and greenchillies and fry them.
2. Add chopped onions and fry them till golden brown. Add salt to onions.
3. Add tomatoes and fry until they turn mushy. Add Carrots/beans/peas and mix well.
4. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, curd, mint leaves and coriander powder and mix well. Cook until oil comes out from sides.
5. Now, add vermicelli and water and mix well. Keep the lid on the pan and cook on medium flame.
6. Once vermicelli/sevai is cooked, add lemon juice before serving.
7. serve hot.

Egg Biryani

Spicy rice cooked with boiled eggs.

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice-2 cup
Water – 2 cups.
Onion-1 sliced thinly
Eggs -  4 boiled
Ginger Garlic paste-1 tblspn
Coriander leaves- 2 stalks chopped
Mint Leaves-1 handful
Green chilli-3 sliced
Cashew-1 tblspn
Khasoori methi-1 tblspn
Curd-1 cup
Red chilli powder-1 tblspn
Turmeric powder-1 tsp
Coriander powder-1 tblspn
cumin powder – ½ tblspoon
Garam masala powder-2 tsp
Cinnamon sticks-1 small piece
Bay leaves-handful
Star anise – 1 
biryani flower – 1 
Black/green Cardamom-2
Cloves-4
Shahjeera/Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Ghee- 1 tblspoons
oil – 2 tblspoons
Salt to taste

Method :

1. Soak Basmati rice in water for 30 mins.
2. In a wide pan, heat oil  and ghee and add shahjeera, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, star anise, bay leaves, biryani flower.
3. Add ginger garlic paste and fry until raw smell leaves-handful
4. Add in sliced onions,Green chilli,Cashews, and fry till golden brown.  Add salt and stir.
5. Add khasoori methi, mint leaves, garam masala powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder and mix well.
6. Add curd and mix well with the rest of the contents.
7. Add boiled eggs and mix well with the masala. At this time keep the lid on the pan and let it mix well for 2 minutes. The eggs should get well marinated with the mixture.
8. Add coriander leaves.
9. Remove the lid and add rice and water and mix well from bottom.
10. Keep the lid again and let the rice cook for 15 minutes. Open the lid and check if the rice is cooked. If the rice is not cooked, sprinkle handful of water on rice and keep the lid on for 5 minutes.
11. Once the rice is done, switch stove off and the biryani is ready.
12. Serve hot with Raitha.
13. You can cook the rice in electric cooker with the same procedure. Once rice is added along with water – transfer the contents into electric rice cooker and cook.

Biryani/Bagara Rice

Serves 4 : 

Preparation time 45 mins

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of oil

Spices:

1/2 teaspoon of Shahjeera (Persian Cumin)

1 teaspoon Jheera (Cumin)

3 Cloves

4 inch stick of Cinnamon

1 Black cardamom

2 Green Cardamoms

3 Bay leaves

2 stems of Curry leaves

5 Cashew nuts (Optional)

3 whole dry red chillies

Salt to taste 

2.5 cups of white Basmati rice (soak it)

Vegetables:

1 big onion cut into thin long slivers

1 medium onion cut into thin long slivers (used for garnishing)

4 Green chillies (mild ones) chopped

2 small potatoes diced

1 Carrot diced

1 cup of fresh Green peas

1 small capsicum

1 small bunch of Pudina leaves chopped

1 small bunch of Coriander chopped

Method:

1. Take a large vessel(Or the container of electric rice cokker) and add 4.5 cups of water and bring to boil (this water should be enough to cook the basmati rice)

2. Heat the oil in a pan. Add Shahjeera, Jheera. When they splutter, add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves,

 curry leaves, cashewnuts, dry red chillies and cook until cashew turns light brown.

3. Add the vegetables: Start with Onion, let it get brown a bit and add vegetables including the Coriander & mint. (Set aside a handfulof mint for garnishing.)

4. Add salt and continue cooking, we want the vegetables to be half done.

5. When the vegetables are half done, add the boiling water into them, add the soaked rice, mix it and let it cook until done.

You can cook it in Electric Rice cooker.

6. Once the rice is cooked,Garnish with fried onion & pudina spread all over the surface of the rice.

Squeeze some lemon (to taste) .

Best can be served with a Gravy curry or Raita.