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Colourful Biriyani

Ingredients

Basmati Rice (3 cups)
Oil - 2 tsps
Ghee - 2 tsps
Vegetables (peas,carrots,capsicum,cauliflower florets,beans,potatoes)
Onions- 2
Tomatoes- 3
Chopped Coriander- 2 cups
Milk - 1/2 cup
Saffron - ten thin strands
Thick curd(uniform consistency)-1 cup
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Green chillies- 5
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder- 1 tsp
Cumin powder- 2 tsps
Gingerpaste- 2 tsps
Spices - cloves,cinnamon,fennel seeds, jeera(cumin seeds),bay leaves (4),cardomom(8)

Method:

Curd Mixture:

1. Take curd in a bowl.
2. Add to it, two tomatoes chopped, two cut green chillies, cut ginger, two bay leaves, few cloves, one or two cinnamon sticks, two to three cardomoms, five thin strands of saffron, red chilli powder, cumin powder, turmeric power and chopped coriander (1/4 cup).
3. Keep this mixture refrigerated for about two to three hours (the longer it is kept in the fridge, the better will be the taste not longer than 12 hours)

To Grind:

1. Take the rest of the green chilles,tomatoes and 1/2 cup of coriander, and grind it along with ginger paste.

Rice-cooking part:

1. Take a pan and heat a little ghee .
2. Then add few cloves,cinnamon,bay leaves(2),cardamom,fennel seeds,cumin seeds and fry these .
3. Then add Basmati rice(Washed and sokaed for ten minutes)
4. Fry until it is slightly dry(don't fry too much for the rice breaks then)
5. Then transfer it to a rice cooker(with all the spices) and cook with total of 51/2 cups of water for the three cups of rice and add half a cup of milk with the rest of the saffron to the rice.
6. After this rice is cooked ,allow it to cool in a seperate plate, blending all the spices in the rice.

Cooking Veggies:

1. Take a pan and heat the oil.
2. Now fry onions(cut lenghtwise) until it changes to light brown and then add the ground paste.
3. Let it start giving a good flavour and then add the vegetables ,first capsicum ,then the rest shall be added once capsicum becomes soft.
4. Now add the curd mixture and let the whole thing boil for a while until curd and vegetables mix well and curd is absorbed.
5. Now turn the gas off and add 1/4 cup of coriander.

Final Part:

1. Now take a casserole, add one layer of the rice and press it gently and uniformly with a flat spatula.
2. Now add this curd-vegetable gravy as a layer above the rice layer and add lot of coriander on this layer.
3. Again add rice layer and press gently..Repeat until the whole of the rice and gravy is done..
4. Atlast,garnish with cashews and decorate with corinader,onion rings and tomato rings.
5. Keep this casserole on a heated pan (The food should get indirect heat).
6. Serve it piping hot with any raita.

Don't you think it would look colourful and welcoming??It is very delectable too.