Healthy Vegetable Biryani – This healthy and quick aromatic vegetable biryani recipe can be done in just under 30 mins. This one pot biryani is very simple and easy to make with all your favorite veggies in it. Ideal meal for lunch or dinner. This also makes a great lunch box recipe in your busy mornings. Being masala free makes this rice very healthy too.

Paste of cilantro/coriander leaves, mint, green chillies and tomato is used in this rice. This biryani can be made in a pot/pan, pressure cooker, rice cooker or an instant pot. It is flavorful on it’s own and it can be served with any side dishes. Raita or any vegetable gravy or with just papad works fine too.

You can grind paste and chop veggies the previous night and keep it refrigerated to make it even quicker. So that in the busy mornings, you can use pressure cooker or rice cooker to make this rice quickly in just under 30 mins.

Try out my other Rice recipes:

• Tindora/Dondakaya Rice
• Cauliflower/Gobi Rice
• Methi Paneer Rice
• Mint Rice/Green Pulao
• Tomato Rice
• Garlic Pepper Rice

How to make Healthy Vegetable Biryani

PREP TIME: 10 MINS  COOK TIME: 30 MINS  TOTAL TIME: 40 MINS  COURSE: MAIN COURSE  CUISINE: INDIAN SERVINGS : 4

Ingredients

1 cup – 200 ml

Basmati rice – 2 and 1/2 cups	salt – 2 tsp
carrot – 1 medium size	turmeric – 1/4 tsp
potato – 1 small	oil – 4 tbsp, ghee – 1 tbsp
beans – 1/4 cup, peas – 2 tbsp	lemon – 1/2
onion – 1 medium size	cashews – few (optional)
green chillies – 5 (can go up to 8)	water – 5 cups
tomato – 1 medium	whole garam masala: 4 cloves, 1 bay leaf
mint leaves – fistful	sm piece stone flower/rathi puvvu,
cilantro/coriander leaves – 1/2 bunch (big)	1 tsp shah jeera and 1 pinch nutmeg/jajikaya
ginger garlic paste – 1-2 tsp	2 cardamom,

Instructions

1. Rinse and soak rice.
2. Add cilantro, mint, tomato, green chillies and 1/2 tsp salt in a blender and blend to a smooth paste.
3. Heat a pan with oil and ghee, add cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, stone flower, bay leaf, shah jeera and nutmeg/jajikaya.
4. Add onions, close and saute 2 to 3 mins on high flame.
5. Now add few cashew nuts and ginger garlic paste. Saute till raw smell is gone. (you can add cashews while adding whole spices…)
6. Add chopped carrots, beans, peas and potato, cover and cook for around 4 mins.
7. Add ground paste of cilantro, mint and tomato. fry for 2 to 3 mins.
8. Add water, turmeric, lemon juice and salt. Cook till the water comes to a boil.
9. Add soaked rice. Mix and cover.
10. Cook the rice in medium low flame till the rice and water are half absorbed. Rice would be moist at this point.
11. Change the heat to low flame and cook for 10 minutes or until all the water is completely absorbed.
12. Turn off the heat. Wait 10 more mins until the rice sets off.
13. This biryani is flavorful as is.. or you can also serve hot with raita or any gravy curry.

Tips

1. You can cook in a pressure cooker or rice cooker to make it even easier.
2. You can make the paste and chop the veggies and keep refrigerated the night before, to speed up the process in the busy mornings.
3. Lemon juice helps to keep the rice grains separate and long.

Step by step photo instructions

1. Rinse and soak 2 and 1/2 cups rice.
2. Add 1/2 bunch cilantro, fistful of mint, 1 md tomato, 5 green chillies and 1/2 tsp salt in a blender and blend to a smooth paste.

3. Heat a pan with 4 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp ghee, add 4 cloves, 2 cardamom, 1 cinnamon, small piece stone flower, 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp shah jeera and 1 pinch nutmeg/jajikaya.

4. Add 1 md onion slices, close and saute 2 to 3 mins.

5. Now add few cashew nuts and 1-2 tsp ginger garlic paste. Saute till raw smell is gone. (you can add cashews while adding whole spices…)

6. Add chopped 1 md carrots, 1/4 cup beans, 2 tbsp peas and 1 sm potato, close and cook around 4 mins.

7. Add ground paste of cilantro, mint and tomato from step 1. fry for 2 to 3 mins.

8. Add 5 cups water, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/2 lemon-juice and 2 tsp salt. Cook till the water comes to a boil.

9. Add 2 and 1/2 cups soaked rice. Mix and cover.

9. Cook the rice in medium low flame till the rice and water are half absorbed. Rice would be moist and some liquid on the bottom at this point.

10. Change the heat to low flame(simmer) and cook for 10 minutes or until all the water is completely absorbed.

11. Turn off the heat. Wait 10 more mins until the rice sets off.

12. This biryani is flavorful as is.. or you can also serve hot with raita or any gravy curry. (Aloo vankaya masala in the pic).