What you need:

1. Coriander leaves (Cilantro) - 2 bunches
2. Yogurt – 1 and half cup
3. Rice – 4 cups
4. Vegetables (Beans, Aloo, carrot, peas/ can add cauliflower also) – 500 gms (more is also fine)
5. Oil – 1 Cup
6. Salt as needed.
7. Cloves - 8 (apart from the masala)
8. Mirchi - 4
9. Cashews – 10 (split halves; fried until light brown)/ optional
10. Raisins (Kismiss J) – 12 (fried a little bit)/ optional
11. Biryani leaves - 3(optional)
12. Masala (grind 3 inches of dhachina chekka, 7-8 cloves, 4 elakkayi/cardamom)
13. 1 flat pan, rice cooker, big vessel.

How to Prepare:

1. Grind Coriander leaves & mirchi until soft paste. Add masala, yogurt and grind for a sec in mixie. Keep it aside.
2. Boil rice with little less water than required to cook. Rice shouldn’t stick with each other. (I use 7 cups of water for 4 cups of rice).
3. Fry vegetables in oil (use the whole oil now or just enough to fry; can use the remaining oil later) until half cooked.
4. In a big vessel, at the bottom pour coriander mix, add vegetables along with the oil, mix them with salt.
5. Above that add rice. Throw in cloves in between whilst adding rice. Do not mix the contents.
6. In a pan pour water (about10-12 cups) and keep it on stove. In the pan, put the vessel. Close the vessel with a air tight lid (or a heavy lid, so that smell doesn’t go out).
7. Leave it on medium heat for 1 hour and 15 mins. Keep adding water in the pan if it evaporates completely. Rice gets burnt if there isn’t enough water.
8. After 1hour and 15 mins, put the contents in a bowl and mix them well. Add raisins & cashews.

¶ 1/23/2006 11:43:00 AM