Vegetable Biryani

Ingredients

* 400g basmati rice
* 250g cauliflower, cut into flowerettes
* 100g green peas, shelled
* 100g carrots, cut into 2.5 cm. long pieces
* 100g French beans, cut into diamond shaped pieces
* 3 potatoes, cut into four pieces each
* 2 black cardamoms
* 4 green cardamoms
* 4 cm. cinnamon
* 4 cloves
* 8 peppercorns
* 1 tsp. black cumin seeds
* 3 bay leaves
* Few strands of saffron

Masala for the vegetables:

* 250g onions, sliced
* 3/4 cup yogurt
* 4 tsp chilli powder
* 3 tsp ginger-garlic paste
* 2 tsp mint paste
* 1 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
* 1 1/2 tsp coriander-cummin powder
* Salt to taste
* 3 tbsp ghee (butter), for deep frying onions

For the garnish:

* 2 tomatoes, sliced
* 2 capsicums, sliced
* 2 onions, fried till crisp
* Few mint leaves

Method :

To prepare the vegetables:Clean the vegetables with warm water and dry them well. Mix all the ingredients for the masala, except the ghee, and marinate the vegetables in it for one hour. Heat ghee and deep fry the onions till well browned. Remove from the ghee. When cool, grind to a paste. Clean and cook the rice in double the quantity of water. When done, remove the rice and spread it on a plate. Keep aside to cool.

To prepare the rice:

Lightly roast the saffron, powder and sprinkle over the rice. Heat ghee in a pan and season it with the whole spices. Add the vegetables and saute for five minutes. Add a little water and cook the vegetables till done and almost dry. In a baking dish arrange alternate layers of rice and the prepared vegetables. Top with garnish and bake in a moderately hot oven for 20 minutes. Serve hot with raita.