Root Vegetable Biryani

Still cold, still slippery, and still winter. January is my least favorite month mainly because it’s too early to get my vegetable seeds started, the health club is packed with all the New Year’s resolution people (I know I know they’ll be gone in a few weeks), and the Master Gardener season is quiet. Tomorrow, however, things should pick up - I get to meet the interns I will be mentoring this year - I’m excited. 

I’ve also been considering converting some of Dan’s favorite Indian dishes - like Chicken Biryani - and making them vegetarian. Last night I pulled out the recipe that his mom uses and decided it was a good time to experiment. I chopped, sliced, blitzed, sautéed, and baked until it was done. 

One thing to note - root vegetables i.e. carrots, turnips, etc hold up and are better in this dish than zucchini or eggplant so keep that in mind when choosing your vegetables. I originally thought I had too many vegetables, but 2 cups of raw rice make about 6 cups cooked so it was fine. We served it with a couple chutneys (coconut and tomato) that we had on hand - it was delicious and it looks like we’ll be having leftovers for a few days and according to Dan - that is great.

Vegetables:

4 medium to large carrots - peeled and cut into chunks

2 onions - chopped

4 small turnips - peeled and chopped

1 large delicata squash - cut in half, seeds removed, and then sliced

1 small head of broccoli - break into florets

1/2 head cauliflower - break into florets

Mix vegetables in a large bowl with the following:

olive oil 

3T coriander powder

2T cumin powder

1tsp turmeric 

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 - 2 tsp red pepper

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

In a blender add:

6 cloves garlic

2 large jalapeno peppers

1/2 cup water

1-inch chunk of grated ginger

Pour 1/2 of the blender mixture over the veggies and roast 400-degree oven for 25 minutes.

Rice

2 cups brown basmati rice washed and drained.  

2 cinnamon sticks

4 cloves

4 cardamom pods

2t salt

1t turmeric

1/2 cup oil

Fry rice in 1/2 cup of oil until kernels are opaque.  Put rice in a roaster or cake pan.  

Fry 2 cinnamon sticks, 4 cloves, and 4 cardamom pods.  Add 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp turmeric, and the blender mixture (garlic/jalapeño/ginger mixture).

Add the fried spices and blender mixture to the rice plus 4 cups of water. Cover and bake rice for 1/2 hour at 350 - stir once halfway through. 

Remove rice from the oven and add the roasted vegetables to the rice - bake another 30 - 40 minutes (covered) until vegetables are tender. If the rice is still firm, add more liquid and bake for an additional 20 - 30 minutes. 

Toppings:

Fry 1 cup raisins in butter until puffed (or if preferred soak raisins in warm water for 1/2 hour until puffed and then fry in less butter just to coat). Add 1 cup of cashews and mix.

Serve with tomato-yogurt raita.

1-pint yogurt (unflavored) - can use non-dairy i.e. almond, coconut, or oat

1/2 tsp salt

1 T sugar

Chop 1 large tomato, and add onion to taste.  Mix all together and add fresh cilantro to taste

2023 Book Update - I'm an avid reader as well as a cook. This year I will be adding a short shout-out to my post about what I've been reading. If you've read the book or have book suggestions, please put them in the comments below. 

For those of you science fiction fans - I recently finished Cetaganda - book 9 in the Vorkosigan Saga written by Lois McMasters Bujold - if you are a fan it’s a must-read. The book was written back in 1996 so it’s likely you’ve read it if you are a fan.