Authentic - MILLET(SAMAI) VEGETABLE BIRYANI

Samai(Millet) Vegetable Biryani

I always use to wonder why people think that Biryani tastes the best when it’s a non-vegetarian preparation only. 

Is it really to say that Biryani & Pulav is best prepared with meat, is there a re-course for vegetarians at all. I really think that we can really better the taste and a healthier version of the flavorsome biryani using Small Grain Millet.

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serving: 4

Recipe Type: Main course

Ingredients

·         Samai(Small Millets)-  2 cups

·         Onions- 2 (Big)

·         Tomatoes- 2

·         Green chilies: 4 sliced

·         Green cardamom:   4 pods

·         Cloves:   4 numbers

·         Cinnamon, Starnise    2 NOS.

·         Shahi Jeera:   1 spoon

·         Jeera: 1 spoon

·         Mushrooms:  6 pods cleaned

·         Carrots: 1

·         French beans: Few

·         Cauliflowers: 1 cup flowerets

·         Pudina/coriander leaves 1 cup chopped

·         Ginger garlic paste

·         Curd: ½ cup

·         Turmeric powder: 1 spoon

·         Chilli powder: 2 spoons

·         Coriander powder: 2 spoons

·         Garam masala:1 spoon

Preparation method:

• Place a  heavy bottom pressure cooker in the stove ,heat it then add oil fry the dry spices like shahi jeera, jeera, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves etc ensure fry them in low fire to avoid from  burning to avoid  flavor of the biriyani getting changed.

• Add onions, sliced green chilies, ginger garlic paste, tomatoes, pudina and coriander leaves and fry them gently add  little salt for the onions to get cooked faster stir slowly till you get gravy kind of consistency .

• Now add all the vegetables one by one and fry then slowly along with the gravy add mushrooms at the end as it takes lesser time to cook .mushrooms has the tendency to leave water so if the gravy is watery cook till its is little thicker/semi gravy consistency otherwise if there is more water you will get khichdi instead biryani ;-)

• Once semi gravy made add the washed samai(millet) rice and water proportion has to be 1:2 now put the lid on and cook in low flame by leaving 3 whistles.

• Please remove the lids once the pressure comes down and transfer the biryani to a different bowl so that you will get grainy if you leave it n cooker it will turn into a  mash as we are using small grains like samai its advisable to change it to another vessel.

• Serve it with onion raita 

End Result: Flavourful, delicious samai(millet) biryani is ready to serve now…

I will Shortly be posting the pictures.