Vegetable Biryani
Fragrant basmati rice layered with mixed vegetables, caramelised onions, lentils, and finished with a sizzling curry leaf ghee.
Whether you call it veg biryani or pilau, this is a pot full of flavour! Featuring crisp fried vegetables, caramelised onions, a rich tomato-yoghurt masala, fresh herbs, and tender lentils—all finished with a sizzling drizzle of curry leaf-infused ghee poured over fragrant basmati rice.
Before you start
Get your mise en place ready so nothing catches you out mid-cook.
Method
- 1
Fry Vegetables & Onions
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Fry the 6 cups mixed vegetables until lightly coloured and beginning to soften—this pre-cooks them and evaporates excess water so they don't release moisture into the biryani rice later. Set aside.
- 2
In the same pot, fry the 3 thinly sliced onions in oil until deeply golden brown and crispy. Remove half the fried onions and reserve for garnishing.
- 3
Toast Spices & Build Yoghurt Masala
Add 2 sliced green chillies, 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, and all whole spices (bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, cumin seeds, fennel seeds) to the remaining onions in the pot, sautéing until fragrant.
The rest of this recipe
There’s 16 more ingredients and 8 more steps to go.
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Ivana Sanshia’s note
Blooming the ground spices in the warm oil before adding the tomatoes unlocks their aromatic essential oils, giving the masala a deeper, richer base. Sizzling curry leaves in ghee at the end seals in that iconic coastal finish!
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