Mixed Veg Kofta Dum Biryani

Yes, you’re officially allowed to grill the next person who says ‘veg biryani doesn’t exist’ or ‘it’s just pulao’.

Well, something I can assure for sure, is that it is definitely not pulao, cause we don’t add sugar or fry the rice before its cooked. The authentic procedure of making any form of Biryani is followed here, and you can simply just substitute the koftas with mutton, chicken or fish (preferably hilsa) according to the protein of your choice, and follow the exact same ingredients and process as used here. So here we go!
Keep those drools on!

Pic © Shreya Mitra 

Ingredients ( for 4 servings)

Preparation time ( 40 minutes to as long as you can persevere)

·         For the Koftas

1)      Paneer grated 200 gms

2)      Beetroot: 1

3)      Carrot: 2

4)      Potato: 2

5)      Green peas: 10-15 pods

·         For Rice:

1)      Basmati Rice: 300 gms

2)      Onions: 3

3)      Garlic: 8-10 cloves

4)      Ginger: 3 cubes

5)      Tomato puree: 6 tbs

6)      Curd: 4 tbs

7)      Fresh cream: for garnishing

8)      Keora, rose water: 2 tbs each

9)      Saffron/ kesar soaked in milk: 5 tbs

10)   Mitha atar: 2 drops

11)   Beresta or brown fried onions: half cup

12)   Ghee: As much as your conscience permits

13)   Salt according to taste

14)   Coriander/ dhania leaves for garnishing

15)   Whole Spices:

                                                         i.            Whole jeera (Cumin seeds): 2 tbs

                                                       ii.            Whole dhania ( coriander seeds): 4 tbs

                                                      iii.            Shah jeera (caraway seeds): 2 tbs

                                                     iv.            Shah marich (white pepper): 2 tbs

                                                       v.            Whole kali mirch (Black pepper): 1 tbs

                                                     vi.            Kabab chini (piper cubeba) : 2 tbs

                                                    vii.            Mouri/ saunf (Fennel seeds): 2 tbs

                                                  viii.            Sukha laal mirch (Dried red chilli): 3

                                                     ix.            Jaifal (nutmeg): ½

                                                       x.            Jaitri (mace): 3-4

                                                     xi.            Elaichi (Cardamom): 5-6

                                                    xii.            Darchini (Cinnamon): 2-3

                                                  xiii.            Laung/lobongo (cloves): 4-5

                                                  xiv.            Tej pata (bay leaves)- 2

16)   Powdered/paste masala

                                                         i.            Jeera powder

                                                       ii.            Haldi powder

                                                      iii.            Red chilli powder

                                                     iv.            Kasmiri mirch powder

                                                       v.            Garam masala powder

                                                     vi.            Dahania powder

                                                    vii.            Cashew paste

Pic © Shreya Mitra 

·         Preparation:

1)      Koftas

First of all, roast and grind the whole spices to make a fine powdered mix.

In a bowl, mix the paneer and all boiled veggies and all the powdered masalas according to your estaimate, and make balls out of the paneer veggie dough. Add cornflour or normal flour as needed. Deep fry those balls/koftas and keep aside. You ccan add ginger/garliuc paste to it to enhance the flavours.

Now for the gravy, mix ghee an oil in a pan, after they heat up, add the ginger garlic paste, tomato puree and 1 tbs sugar to caramelize, the give the thing a nice red colors, add the onions, and all the powdered masalas and cashew paste. Add curd, salt and let it simmer till the oil separates. Lower the flame, add the koftas, rose water, keora water, a drop of meetha atar and sprinkle a pinch of garam masala and coriander.

2)      Rice

Firstly, you need to prepare the akhani water tto boil the rice.

Add half of a whole onion, ginger, 2-3 garlic cloves and all whole masalas, tie them in acloth like a potli, and add it in the water in which you’ll cook the rice and let it boil. As the water bubbles, take out the potli, add salt, whole gara,\m masal, and ghee to the water (so that the rice doesn’t stick). Then add your washed rice. Cook till the rice is half-cooked. You don’t want the whole portion of rice to boil, as biryani will be half cooked in the ‘dum’ or steam part that follows.

Take out the rice and starin out all the waters. Now comes the most artistic and tedious part of the biryani game.

Take the handi and dab oil throughout it’s inner surface. Now add a layer of the kofta mix, followed by a layer of half cooked rice. Add saffron milk (You can add the atar and rose water in this mix itself), ghee, salt, coriander and beresta over the top. Keep on repeating the process of layering till the last. Now top it up with the lid, and wrap it with flour dough so that the vapor cannot escape the utensil.
In an oven, or a double boiler if you’re cooking in gas oven or induction cook top (like I did), place the handi and let it cook. Each 5 minutes, shake the whole thing so that the layer is topsy-turvied. Let it cook for like 15-20 minutes.

Switch off the flame and let it rest. And now, you can dig in with a side of any gravy, curry or raita.

You’re welcome. Happy lunching or dining!

© Shreya Mitra