Shajahanvi Biryani
Shajahanvi Biryani is a royal, exotic biryani from the Mughal kitchen. The Biryani has been named after the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan.
Ingredients
- Spices and Vegetables
- 1/4 cup ghee
- 6 red chillies dried ground to paste with water
- 1/4 cup onion paste
- 8-10 blanched almonds ground to a paste
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 1 tbsp poppy seed paste
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground black cardamom
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 cups mixed vegetables
- 1/4 cup yoghurt
- Salt to taste
Rice
- 2 cups basmati rice washed and soaked for 30 minutes
- 2 green cardamoms
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1/4 cup tsp saffron threads - soaked in 1/4water/milk
- Few drops kewra essence
- 1/4 cup Amul cream
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Garnishing
- 1 large onion fried until golden
- 1/4 cup raisins fried
- Fried Nuts
Instructions
Spices and Vegetables
- Heat ghee in a large skillet.
- Add all the pastes and spices and cook stirring constantly until the ghee separates.
- Stir in the water and simmer and cook till all the water evaporates.
- Add the vegetables and season with salt.
- Mix well to coat the vegetables with the paste.
- Add little water and cook the vegetables till tender.
- Stir in the yoghurt and cook for another few minutes.
Rice
- Cook rice with the absorption method, adding cardamoms, cinnamon stick, salt to taste.
Assembling the Biryani
- Preheat oven to 170 deg.
- Grease a baking dish with butter.
- Spread half the rice to a baking dish and pour half of the saffron liquid over the rice.
- Make another layer adding all the cooked veggies.
- Once again spread the rest of the rice.
- Sprinkle saffron water, cream and cumin powder.
- Cover the dish tightly with an aluminium foil pressing it down.
- Bake for 35 minutes.
- Serve hot with fried onions, nuts and raisins.
