This Veg Biryani is an authentic Indian vegetarian recipe packed full of your favorite rice, veggies, and spices. Made with patience and lots of love, this delicious veg dum biryani requires both care and attention to detail. The savory flavors in your first bite are well worth the time and effort spent in the kitchen.
What is Dum Cooking
Dum cooking is also known as dum pukht or cooking on dum. The dum pukht method of cooking comes from Persia.
It is a technique or method of slow cooking food in tightly sealed earthen pots. The various layers of food or the ingredients are kept in a clay pan or pot which is then sealed tightly using wheat flour dough.
As the pot is tightly sealed, steam cannot escape from it. The result is that the food ingredients or layers are slow cooked in the steam emanating in the pot and in their own juices which makes the food very flavorful.
Traditionally clay pots are used while making dum biryani. Nutrients are not lost in this process and thus dum cooked food is nutritious.
Why This Recipe Works
This Hyderabadi veg biryani is one of the best vegetarian biryani recipe I make – loved by friends, family, and readers alike for more than 10 years.
There are hundreds of different variations for making a veg biryani recipe, each having their own unique tastes, ingredients, and flavors – but my tried and true recipe is loosely inspired from my mom’s version and a Jigg Kalra’s book that I had purchased decades back.
Over the years, I have experimented with this veg biryani recipe with different ratios of ingredients. And finally I came to the perfect recipe that is insanely delicious and keeps you asking for more.
I have forgotten the number of times I have made this veg dum biryani recipe for family, friends and get-togethers. It has always been a much loved dish on the dining table.
In my opinion, recipes always turn out even better when tied to love and care!
This version of veg dum biryani is light, a bit spicy and super delicious. The subtle flavors of the garam masala, caramelized onions and yogurt are perfectly infused in the vegetable chunks.
Each bite has the taste, flavor and aroma of the masala, as well as the unique taste of the vegetables. It truly is a perfectly balanced dish.
What ingredients should I use?
Rice: I prefer to use aged basmati rice, but regular basmati rice is also appropriate.
Water: For soaking rice and for cooking the vegetable gravy and rice. You will also need kewra water (pandanus extract) or rose water for layering the dish.
Veggies: Veg biryani can actually be made with just one vegetable or several different kinds of of veggies. I like to add a variety of vegetables when making this vegetarian dish. In this recipe, I have added a mix of cauliflower, onions, potatoes, carrots, french beans, bell pepper (capsicum), button mushrooms and green peas. You can even
Nuts: Cashews and almonds.
Seasonings: Cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, tej patta (Indian bay leaf), mace and saffron strands, salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder or cayenne pepper or paprika
Other Ingredients: Shah jeera (caraway seeds), raisins (without seeds), ginger, garlic, chilies, coriander leaves or cilantro, mint leaves
Prep the Veggies
3. While the basmati rice is soaking, use that time to prep the other ingredients. First, you will want to rinse, peel and chop all of the veggies. This will make the process of cooking go by much quicker.
What to use: I have used 3 cups mixed veggies including green peas. You can use your choice of mixed vegetables for your veg dum biryani.
- Onion: Slice 1 large onion thinly (about 1 heaped cup thinly sliced onion).
- Ginger: Finely chop or crush 10 grams ginger (2 pieces of 2 inch ginger or 1.5 tablespoons finely chopped ginger). You should get 1 tablespoon of ginger paste.
- Garlic: Finely chop or crush 5 grams garlic (10 to 12 medium garlic cloves or 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic). You will need ½ tablespoon garlic paste.
- Chilies: Slit 3 to 4 green chilies.
- Cilantro: Chop coriander leaves (cilantro) and mint leaves. You should get ⅓ cup each of chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves.
Hyderabadi, IndianCourseMain CourseDietGluten Free, VegetarianDifficulty LevelDifficult
ShareServings UnitsUS CustomaryMetric
Ingredients
For Soaking Rice
- ▢1.5 cups basmati rice – 300 grams, preferably aged basmati rice
- ▢1 cup water for soaking rice
Veggies And Herbs
- ▢1.5 cups cauliflower florets – 150 grams
- ▢1 cup chopped potatoes – 100 grams or 2 medium-sized
- ▢½ cup chopped carrots – 100 grams or 1 medium to large carrot
- ▢¼ cup chopped french beans – 50 grams or 11 to 12 french beans
- ▢8 to 10 white button mushrooms sliced or chopped, (optional)
- ▢¼ to ⅓ cup chopped bell pepper – 50 grams or 1 small to medium (optional)
- ▢½ cup green peas – fresh or frozen
- ▢1 cup thinly sliced onions (heaped) – 115 grams onion or 1 large onion
- ▢1.5 tablespoons finely chopped ginger – 10 grams or 2 pieces of 2 inch ginger or 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- ▢1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic – 5 grams or 10 to 12 medium garlic cloves or ½ tablespoon garlic paste
- ▢2 green chilies – slit or sliced
For Cooking Rice
- ▢3 green cardamoms
- ▢1 black cardamom
- ▢3 cloves
- ▢1 inch cinnamon
- ▢1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf)
- ▢2 single mace strands
- ▢5 cups water
- ▢1 teaspoon salt or add as per taste
