Vegetable Biryani

Sunday is usually a very lazy day.......... don't like to spend much time in the kitchen ......so i try and make some thing real quick for lunch ........ that way i can go out and spend time with my hubby.............usually the menu includes veg pulav or fried rice with tomato raita..........this week i made veg Biryani with pomegranate raita........

Although pomegranates have high nutritive value, i never liked it much. But then, one day i came across a recipe for pomegranate raita in a cookery programme called "Nigella bites"..so i decided to try it and guess what ? ....it tasted yummy with Veg Biryani and both of us loved it ............

Veg Biryani:

• 2 cups basmati rice(washed and soaked for 15min)
• 1 cup vegetables cut into small pieces
• 2 large onion sliced length wise
• 1 large tomato cut ino small pieces
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp chicken masala
• a pinch garam masala
• salt
• 3 1/2 cup water

for grinding:

• 6 garlic pods
• 1 inch ginger
• 2 green chillies
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 2 cardamom
• 1 star Anise
• 1 tbsp coriander leaves chopped
• 1 tbsp mint leaves chopped
• 2 tsp coconut

Heat oil in a pressure cooker.Add onion and sauté till transparent.Add all masala and sprinkle some water.Let all the masala cook well.Now add the paste,tomatoes and some water.Cook for 5 minutes.Add the vegetables and cook for 5 minutes.Drain the rice and add to this masala. Sauté till all the moisture evaporates.Add water and cook covered without the dead weight in the pressure cooker on high flame.once the steam starts to appear,lower the flame and put the dead weight on the pressure cooker.Wait for one whistle and turn off the flame.let it cool for 10 minutes.serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

pomegranate raita:

ingredients:

• 1 pomegranate
• 6 shallots cut into small pieces
• 1 cup curd
• pinch of salt

First cut pomegranate into half. De-seed one half into the curd and squeeze juice from the other half into the curd to give nice pink texture.Add salt according to taste and that's it.Yummy raita is ready...