Dum is a slow cooking method, introduced by Mughal to India. The word 'biryani' is an urdu word originated from Persian language.
Biryani is usually cooked in 'handi'. I cook it in a Cooker without the cooker lid and it's delicious. For the dum process in cooker you just have to place a lid (not the cooker lid) on top of cooker and place a heavy utensil on top of the lid or seal the lid with dough and cook it on low flame.
Its very important not to boil the rice completely. This will spoil your entire biryani dish turning it soft and soggy.
Preparation time - 2 hours
Serves -5
Ingrediants -
To boil the rice -
1. Basmati rice - 500 gms
2. Water - 3 glass
3. Cinnamon stick - 1
4. Bay leaf - 2
5. Cardamom - 2
Veggies -
1. Sliced onion lengthwise - 4
2. Sliced tomatoes lengthwise - 33. Cleaned and chopped cauliflower florets - 3/4 cup
4.Green peas - 1/2 cup
5. Diced potatoes - 1
6. Chopped beans - 3/4 th cup
7. Sliced carrots lengthwise - 3/4 th cup
8. Chopped mint leaves - 3/4 cup
9. Green chillies - 2
10. Ginger garlic paste - 2 Tb spoon
11. Oil - 4 Tb spoon (To fry the remaining sliced onion at the end)
Dairy products -
1. Yogurt - 3/4 th cup
2. Milk - 1/4 th cup
3. Saffron - 8 to 9 strings (Optional)
4. Ghee (Clarified butter) - 5 Tb spoon
For masala -
1. Biryani masala powder - 3 Tb spoon
2. Turmeric powder - 2 Tea spoon
3. Chilly powder - 1 & 1/2 Tb spoon
Nuts -
1. Cashew nuts (cut half lengthwise) - 1/4 th cup
2. Sultanas - 1/4th cup
3. Ghee or oil - 2 Tb spoon
I did not add sultanas in biryani but if you wish to you can.
Procedure -
1. Mix saffron in the milk and keep aside.
For boiling the rice -
1. Wash basmati rice under running water and soak it in water for 20 to 30 minutes. Drain the water and keep aside.
2. In a handi or cooker pot add water and place it on high flame. Add cinnamon stick, bayleaf and cardamom. Once the water starts boiling reduce the heat to medium and add washed rice and stir. Do not cover it with the lid.
3. Boil it till the water is completely gone and the rice is almost done. Make sure your rice should be almost done but not completely done.
4. Once the rice is almost done turn off the flame and slowly with a spatula or spoon transfer it on a plate or colander. Insert the spoon from the sides of the handi or cooker pot and not from the middle as this may cause breaking of the rice granules.
5. Once you transfer it in a plate allow it to cool and with your fingers gently break the rice lumps and keep aside.
For vegetable gravy -
1. In a kadhai, add 4 and 1/2 Tb spoon ghee. Once the ghee melts add 3 sliced onion and fry on medium heat for 2 minutes or till it turns translucent.
2. Add tomatoes and stir. Cook on medium heat till the tomatoes are completely cooked.
3. Add ginger garlic paste and stir for 30 seconds on medium flame.
4. Slit the green chillies and add in the kadhai stirring for another 30 seconds.
5. Add turmeric powder, chilly powder and biryani masala powder. Stir for a minute on medium flame.
6. Turn the flame to low and add carrots and potatoes and stir. Add 3 Tb spoon water and cover with a lid. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or till the veggies are almost cooked.
7. Now add cleaned cauliflower florets, green peas and salt. Stir and cover with a lid for another minute.
8. Add chopped mint leaves stir and cover with lid for another minute keeping the flame on low.
9. Add yogurt, stir and turn off the flame.
10. Now the vegetable gravy is ready. Cover with a lid and keep aside.
12. In another pan add ghee or oil and fry the cashews and sultanas till golden color.
13. Take out the fried cashews and sultanas in a bowl and keep aside.
For layering and assembling -
14. Grease the handi or cooker container with half a Tb spoon of ghee.
16. Keep the handi on a low flame and add 1/3 vegetable gravy at the bottom of the handi. On top of the gravy add 1/3 basmati rice.
16. Sprinkle 1/3 saffron milk on top of the rice.
17. Add 1/3 fried cashews and sultanas on top of the rice. Sprinkle chopped mint leaves and the first layer is ready.
18. Repeat the same process for the third layer by adding nuts, mint and saffron milk at the end of the process on top of the rice.
19. Cover with a lid. Ensure that the lid fits your handi properly so that there is no steam coming out of the handi / cooker pot while cooking. On top of the lid place a big utensil filled with water. This is necessary so that the steam doesn't pass out of the handi.
20. I usually follow the above process to make dum biryani. You can also knead a dough and seal the lid with it.
21. Let it cook on low flame for 8 to 10 minutes. Ensure you keep the flame on low.
22. Place tawa on another burner with high flame. Let the tawa heat completely.
23. Once the tawa is burning hot, reduce the flame to low and carefully lift the handi from the burner (Do not open the lid but while shifting the handi on tawa if you wish to, you can take out the heavy utensil and keep it back after placing the handi on tawa) and keep it on tawa and let it cook for another 15 minutes.
23. Mean while in the same oil/ghee which was used for frying cashews, add remaining sliced onion and fry until golden brown.
24. After 15 minutes turn off the flame and let it sit on tawa for another 10 minutes.
25. Now take out the heavy utensil and lid. Serve the delicious hot veg dum biryani with raita and garnish with fried golden brown onions.
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