Hyderabadi Veg Biryani or Vegetable Biryani is a delicious medley of succulent vegetables, spices, ghee, saffron, and flavourful basmati rice which no one can resist. The best part is you can make a great restaurant-style version at home easily. Here is how to make it.

Here are some more Biryani Recipes, that will surely tickle your taste buds and make you crave for more – Mushroom Biryani, Mutton Biryani, and Chicken Biryani.

Biryani, everyone is familiar with this oh so popular Indian delicacy. It is a rice preparation, where fragrant rice is cooked along with a spicy Vegetable or Meat Masala, Fried Onions, Saffron Infused Milk, and a lot of fresh herbs.

Rice, Egg, Paneer, Mushroom, Chicken/Lamb/Mutton/Fish/Prawns, or Vegetable Masala, both are cooked separately and then layered with fried onions, saffron-infused milk, coriander, and mint leaves and nuts such as almonds, cashews, etc. Finally, it is cooked together on dum, resulting in a delicious and aromatic rice preparation.

Today we are going to make Veg Biryani in traditional and Authentic Hyderabadi style.

The Best Veg Biryani Recipe

Biryani, the name itself makes you crave it and when it comes to veg recipes, I assure you this Hyderabadi Vegetable Biryani will be a superstar at your dining table. This will definitely hit the right spots with its impeccable taste and beautiful aroma.

Veg Biryani is just a rich and complex rice and vegetable curry casserole dish. There are multiple ways in which a biryani can be made – Hyderabadi, Mughlai, Ambur, Kerala style, just to name a few.

Hyderabadi Biryani is the most popular among all the others. It is made by cooking rice with a spicy vegetable medley under Dum. Dum Pukth translates to slow cooking. The rice and masala are cooked in a sealed pan and they get cooked in their own juice and steam. This method yields a biryani which is a delight to taste buts and the nutritions are not lost as well.

A lip-smacking combination of fragrant rice, spicy vegetable masala, saffron milk, fried onions, coriander leaves, mint leaves, and lots of ghee, this Veg Dum Biryani recipe has become a hit among my friends and family.

This Restaurant Style Hyderabadi Vegetable Biryani is a rather elaborate recipe that requires you to marinate the vegetables and layer it with rice, don’t get me wrong, but this dish is absolutely worth it.

So if you love your Hyderabadi Chicken and Mutton Biryani, you have to try this Veg Dum Biryani too. It is a bomb in flavor and you will definitely make it again and again for a veg delight.

Some of you might start a debate stating that there is no such thing as a veg biryani, but as legend has it, this was the dish that some of the vegetarian workers who were working for the Nizam’s made for themselves and hence the name.

This Hyderabadi Veg Biryani is,

• Rich & Royal
• Aromatic with Exotic Flavours
• Absolutely Lip Smacking
• Hard to resist
• A great way to use leftover vegetables
• Perfect for festive meals
• Can be halved, doubled, or tripled

Veg Dum Biryani vs Veg Pulao

Although both pulao and biryani are made using similar ingredients, there is a world of difference between the two. While pulao is a one-pot, short cut meal, biryani is a dish made for special occasions. Making biriyani is a multi-step process that takes time, patience, attention to detail, and cannot be made in a hurry.

Biryani is a royal dish truly fit for the kings and Queens and is totally worth the effort.

Ingredients

For the Vegetable Masala

Vegetables – The beauty of this veg biryani is that you can use any vegetable of your choice. It is also a great way to use up all the leftover vegetables in your fridge and make a delicious Biryani out of it.

I have used carrot, green peas, potatoes, cauliflower, and beans, but you can go ahead and add in any vegetable that you prefer. Broccoli, Corn, Mushrooms, Zucchini are a few examples.

Paneer, chickpeas, soya chunks (soaked in hot water), etc can be added to this biryani as well. You can also make biryani using a single vegetable like this Mushroom Biryani or use a mix of veggies like I have done here.

Chop the vegetables in similar sized cubes to make sure they cook evenly and also look good. Peel and cube the potatoes and soak them in water until ready to use to avoid their oxidation.

If using frozen vegetables, soak them in water until they thaw and then drain and use them.

Oil/Ghee – You can use a combination of these two or use any one of these, the choice is yours. I recommend using ghee, as it adds a lot of flavor and richness as compared to oil.

For the marination – The vegetables are cooked slightly and then marinated just like mutton or chicken.

For the marination, we will need hung yogurt (Greek yogurt), ginger garlic paste, green chili paste, Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, golden fried onions, lemon juice, coriander leaves, mint, salt, and vegetable oil.

You can make the fried onions ahead of time and store, as it takes time. These ingredients when combined together give the vegetables a burst of flavors, that add to the magnificent taste of biryani.

Make sure the herbs like mint and cilantro are fresh. You can also adjust the amount of spices according to your taste and spice level.

For the Rice

Rice – This recipe calls for two cups of basmati rice and the better aged the rice the better it’s going to taste. I always prefer to use extra-long grain Basmati Rice, as they turn out fluffy and has flavor and aroma of its own.

Restaurant-style biryani use Sella Chawal or Parboiled Basmati Rice. It has a sturdy texture and grains don’t break during the cooing process.

Whole Spice – To make the rice more fragrant, we will use some whole spices such as cloves, bay leaf, and cinnamon stick.

Others – Other than this, we will add kewra essence, ginger garlic paste, green chili paste, lemon juice, salt, and water.

For Layering –

Saffron Infused Milk – Mix a little saffron in milk and pour it on the top. This gives the Biryani a nice subtle yellow-orange flavor.

Slightly roasting the saffron and crushing it makes it release all it’s flavour.

Fried Onions – You can make fried onions and keep so that it comes in handy whenever you need it. Here is my recipe for how to make it at home and store – Fried Onions(Birista).

Coriander & Mint Leaves – These herbs adds a beautiful freshness and even enhances the taste of the veg biryani. Do not miss it.

Ghee – Add lots of ghee on top, gives it a rich and royal taste.

Dry Fruits – At the end, top it with fried Raisins and Cashews to add more royalness to your Hyderabadi Veg Biryani. This is optional, you can even miss adding them.

How to make Veg Biryani?

For the Vegetables:

Heat ghee and oil in a pan.

Fry the vegetables on high heat for 4-5 minutes.

Remove the vegetables in a bowl.

For Marinating the Vegetables:

Mix the ingredients for marinating in a bowl. Add the sautéed vegetables in it and mix well.

Cover and keep aside for an hour.

For the Rice:

Wash the rice and soak in enough water for 30 minutes. Heat ghee in a pan.

Add cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon stick and fry for a few seconds.

Drain the rice.

Add in the pan along with 4 cups of water, lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, green chilies, and salt.

Cover and cook only heat until 80 % done. The rice should have a slight bite to it and it should not be fully cooked.

For Layering the Biryani:

Add the marinated vegetables in a heavy bottom pan. Fry for 3-4 minutes.

Top with cooked rice. Drizzle ghee on top.

Sprinkle coriander leaves, mint leaves, saffron soaked in milk, fried onion, fried cashew nuts and raisins on top.

Cover the pan tightly with a lid. Keep a griddle over a very low flame. Keep the pan over the griddle and let the biryani cook for 15-20 minutes.

Fluff with a fork gently to mix the layers. Serve hot with Onion Tomato Raita.

Frequently Asked Questions

Serving Suggestions

Once the biryani is cooked, let it rest for 10 minutes. Then using a large spoon or fork, scoop it from the bottom so that the vegetables and masala get mixed slightly with the rice.

Serve this delicious and scrumptious Veg Biryani on its own or along with a Raita of your choices such as Boondi Raita, or Cucumber Raita.

You can also serve Hyderabadi Biryani along with Salan such as Mirch Ka Salan, Bhindi Ka Salan, Baingan Ka Salan and if you are non-vegetarian, you can even serve Ande Ka Salan with it.

Do not forget to serve some thinly sliced onions and a fried Papad on the side with Veg Dum Biryani.

Storage Suggestions

This Veg Biryani will last in the fridge for 3-4 days when stored in an airtight container. If you are making it in bulk, reheat only the amount you want to serve.

Reheating Biryani again and again can decrease the shelve life of the Biryani.

Pro Tips by Neha

Use best quality rice to make Hyderabadi Vegetable Biryani. Long grain basmati rice which is at least 2 years old is considered best.

Use a heavy bottom pan to assemble it. Veg Dum Biryani needs to be cooked for 15-20 minutes on low heat and if the pan is not heavy, it might burn.

the rice must be cooked only 80%. It should have a bite.

You can check the recipe to make golden fried onion or Birista here. They bring out the visual appeal in this dish and making them at home is the best way to go.

Be very attentive while cooking the rice. Do not stir the rice much while cooking otherwise it will break the grains.

Choose a pan with a tight fitting lid. This biryani cooks on dum or steam and we want to retain as much steam that is formed inside. Traditionally, a sealing of dough used to be put around the pan and the lid but I don’t think that it is required if the lid fits tightly.

Do not skimp on ghee. Biryani is a dish for special occassions and we should definitely not worry about the exra calories when making it.

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