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+ servings

Chettinad Vegetable Biryani / Kaikari Biryani

Course Main Dish - Rice
Cuisine Chettinad
Keyword Chettinad Vegetable Biryani, Veg Biryani
By Cook Method Pressure Cooker
Occasion Party, Weekend Special
By Diet Kid Friendly
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Soaking Time for Rice 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6 people
Author Srivalli

Ingredients

For the Rice

  • 3 cups Jeera Samba Rice
  • 2 cups Mixed Vegetables
  • 3/4 cup Shallots (small onions)
  • 2 medium Tomatoes finely chopped
  • 4 Green Chillies
  • 2 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
  • 2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
  • 2 tsp Coriander Powder
  • 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
  • Mint Leaves / Pudina, handful
  • Coriander Leaves handful
  • 20 Cashew Nuts
  • 2 tbsp Ghee
  • Salt to taste
  • 4.5 cups Water

Masala tempering

  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 1" Cinnamon (2 pieces)
  • 4 Cardamom
  • 6 Cloves
  • 1 Marati Moggu
  • 1 Star Anise / Annachi poo
  • Black Stone Flower little
  • 1 Mace / Javitri
  • 1/4 cup Cooking Oil

Instructions

How to make Chettinad Vegetable Biryani

  • Wash and soak the rice for 30 mins.
  • Wash and dice the vegetables like potato, carrot into medium cubes, cauliflower into medium florets, slice green beans into 1" lengthwise and some green peas.
  • Peel and chop the shallots. Chop the tomatoes. Fry the cashew nuts in ghee until golden brown. Clean and chop both pudina and coriander leaves. Break the green chilies into half.
  • Heat cooking oil in a pressure cooker, add the whole spices tempering to the hot oil and saute for 1 minute.
  • Next, add the shallots, green chillies to the pan, saute until onion turns pale. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute until raw smell leaves. Add the mixed vegetables to the pan and fry for 3 minutes. Add chopped pudina and coriander leaves (reserve some to garnish) to the pan and saute for 1 minute.
  • At this stage, add chopped tomatoes, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder to the vegetables and mix well until tomatoes are tender. Add water to the pan, slightly cover with lid and bring vegetable mixture to boil.
  • When the water reaches rolling boil stage, add drained rice along with required salt to the pan. Stir well to combine everything and cover with lid, Pressure cook for 3 whistles.
  • Once the pressure falls, remove the lid, garnish with fired cashews, coriander leaves.
  • Serve with onion raitha.

Notes

  1. Jeera Samba is the special rice used in such biryanis, to get the aromatic and typical taste. If this is not available , you can use short grain basmati rice.
  2. Marathi Moggu can be replaced by adding a couple of more cloves, however, the taste may not be the same.
  3. The original recipe listed Annachi poo and Star Anise separately, while it's one and the same. So I add Black stone flower and Mace.
  4. The final biryani was very aromatic and tasty.
  5. The method to mimic dum style can be achieved if you cook with just the lid covered without putting the pressure cooker on the whistle, and by cooking in low flame for 10 mins, by which time about 1/2 of the water is absorbed and you get separated rice grains completely cooked in the vegetable broth.
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