Hello friends of Hive. I don't post often these days. To tell you the truth I'm tired. The summer is over, and being a restaurant kitchen worker means I should be less busy. That would allow me to go at a regular pace, and have my days off.
Well it turned out, that for some reason the restaurant is as busy as ever. Also an employee, that is the only other one working in my section, went away for a month and the new employee decided not to show up for the second week. I worked long hours each day and ran like a hamster on a wheel.
Now the other guy is back so I can breathe a little.
I also had a problem with my fridge so many of my things were thrown out. I didn't buy many groceries and cook as much. This now has been rectified, sort of, so I am able to share a post.
This time I will share my attempt at vegan bryani.
Many of you will be familiar, or even experts, at making this delicious rice dish.
Most people will think of India when they think of biryani. I am sure that similar dishes come from all over the world, and have different names and varied seasonings.
My version is based on recipes that had meat in them, which tend to be more authentic. This is a vegan version. I hope I will not make traditional cooks angry if I dare to call this biryani. Just try to find me okay?
Biryani spice blend
4 stick Cinnamon
2 tbsp Fennel Seeds
2 tbsp Cumin Seeds
8 Cloves
15 green Cardamom
4 Black Cardamom
1/8 tsp mace powder
20 small red Chillies
1/4 cup Coriander seeds
4 Star Anise
1 tbsp black Peppercorns
4 bay Leaves
It's impossible to find mace strands here, which is the outside of a nutmeg. In fact I have never seen it in my life. I had to settle for ground mace. If I didn't find the mace, I would have substituted with nutmeg.
I could go to the store around the corner and buy a biryani spice blend in a packet, but I opted to make it myself. I do have plenty of spices on hand that I need to use.
After toasting the spices starting with the larger ones first, I put them in my food processor to grind.
Wrong!
I transferred this to my bullet blender to get the powdery grind. I should invest in a mortar and pestle but then I would have to work extra hard.
This was fragrant and smelled like a future biryani.
There was a good amount which I can use in the future. It's good to have on hand. Next time, I can skip this step.
In many vegetable biryani recipes there seems to be some common ingredients, such as cauliflower, potatoes, carrots and green beans. I omitted the green beans and added a zucchini. I had some that needed to be used. I also don't love green beans. Don't get me wrong, I do like them.
Biryani vegetables
300g cauliflower marinated
150g carrot marinated
350g potato marinated
200g zucchini marinated
200g oyster mushrooms
100g onions diced
3 or 4 fresh chili peppers or your preference
30g garlic
25g ginger
I had debated whether to add tofu or not. I opted to use up the mushrooms that I had in the fridge. Oyster mushrooms are easy to find here in the city, and are some of my favourites.
Some people prefer, and even insist that the veggies be in good chunks. I just chose a size that appealed to me and chopped everything this way.
To me the size I chose would determine the amount of time I would cook them. They are first cooked alone, then with the rice added later.
Marinade for vegetables
2 cups vegan yogurt unsweetend
1 tsp garam masala
1tsp chili powder
1tbsp salt
2 tbsp biryani spice blend
1 tsp turmeric
I have seen different variations and amounts of all the ingredients. I just go by feel. I have given the amounts that I chose.
After mixing the vegan yogurt with the spices, I marinated the vegetables with it. This was left in a bowl while I prepared the rice.
I usually buy the same basmati rice all the time. I really don't know which is the best quality. I will have to ask my Indian co workers.
I chose an amount out of the blue, as I don't follow recipes.
2 cups of basmati would be the amount to rinse very thoroughly as I usually do with rice. This was soaked for half an hour as recommended.
To add to rice for cooking
3 cardomom pods
2 cinnamon sticks
3 cloves
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp mace
1 tsp salt
Do not cook the rice all the way.
It will cook further with the vegetables. I cooked it until it was still firm, but able to bite the grain.
When you achieve this cooking of the rice, drain the water out and set aside. I also took out the big spices.
There is another important part of biryani, which in my opinion, should never be omitted. This is fried onions to layer with the rice.
Fried onions for layering
3 medium onions
1/8 cup oil for frying
Almost all the recipes use sliced onions, however there are some that use store bought fried onions for convenience. I am not opposed to convenience at all. I may do that in the future.
I don't often use a lot of oil, but in this case I chose a good amount to ensure that the onions were fried well.
This is the part where I make sure they are not burned and cooked as evenly as possible. No walking away for this.
If I deep fried them coated in flour, they would be crispier but the flavour will still be there.
When they were done I put them on a paper towel.
Meanwhile I prepared saffron water for later.
I chose a random amount of water, around a cup or two. I added around a teaspoon of saffron threads.
Saffron can be found in many stores. I have purchased it a couple of times and it was not expensive for a good amount. I will not do that anymore. Real saffron should cost quite a bit. Even then, you could be swindled.
Fortunately around the corner is a little shop with imported items all from Spain. I purchase a very tiny box of saffron for 15 dollars. I trusted that this would be the real stuff. it seems good but I am not sure if it is the finest that you can get. I really wouldn't know.
To start cooking the marinated vegetables, I add spices to the hot oil in a pot that I chose for the biryani. I think a heavier pot would be ideal but this stainless steel pot worked for a Canadian kitchen.
Spices for cooking the final part of the biryani
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
3 or 4 cardomom pods
5 or 6 whole cloves
2 or 3 dried chilies
1 cinnamon stick
Keep in mind, that I chose these random amounts based on what I have seen in recipes. They all vary to a certain degree. Some omit certain items and some add others in different amounts.
After tempering the spices add the chopped onion, cook until translucent.
Then add garlic, ginger and chilies.
When the onion, garlic and ginger are cooked, add the marinated vegetables and mushrooms.
Cook them until almost tender with a bite. This is how I chose to do it. Some people blanch them first.
Layering
Some people layer the rice with the vegetables. I just layered the rice with the onions. I left the vegetables on the bottom, then added a third of the rice with a layer of fried onions. Then a layer of rice and onions and the final layer.
There are a few steps to take before covering the pot.
Mint and cilantro for the top. I chose a small handful for each, chopping them roughly.
The saffron water was drizzled over the top. I used it all.
I happened to have a dairy free ghee in my fridge. I'm sure this is not the healthiest in the world but it's the closest thing to ghee. I was in an Indian store and the guy introduced this to me assuring me that it was vegan. I looked it up to make sure, and there is no dairy in it. It's not something I use often.
In the case of biryani, I didn't want to hold back. Biryani is time consuming and rather festive. This is when the big guns come out.
The lid was placed on top and the pot was on low. I left it for around 30 minutes or so without uncovering. It was kind of scary.
After lifting the lid I decided to cover and go for a few more minutes.
Some people use certain other ways of cooking which of course would determine how long it cooks. I know that some people have it cooking on a fire or gas. I used an electric stove and did everything blindly. I am an amateur at this.
It is warned that you should be very careful mixing the rice with the vegetables at the end. You don't want to break the rice. It would be a mess.
Gently lift the edges of the mixture and fold until the vegetables from the bottom are mixed in.
I have to admit, this was worth the time and effort spent.
I am now interested in trying other vegetables and perhaps tofu or tempeh.
It's very common for biryani to be served with raita but I didn't have anything to make it with.
I accompanied the rice with salad and a dressing along with a side of marinated cabbage which I had in the fridge. A random decision.
Usually rice is just a side dish but for me, biryani is a perfect main course.
I really loved this, but would never let my Indian co workers taste it. I know they would criticize it even if it were better then what they make.
I will never know for sure.
Have a great day and thanks for your visit.
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