Beetroot Biryani

I am sure the name is such a turnoff..I mean, we all love Biryani don't we.. and to think of it as red color dish..with beets is almost unimaginable right!?! Well, at least i would have scoffed at the very thought of it :).. I changed my opinion & fell in love with it when i had this for the first time in my in laws place!

This biryani is special and different for various reasons! Apart from the fact, its made of Beetroot & home ground spices not the usual biryani masala..this recipe has been a part of the household for 3 generations!!

My MIL learnt it from her MIL :).. This was a part of their Sunday Special dish & they would make this with raitha & potato chips..all home made! Well, i can't really think of myself doing the chips at home now.. but surely can do the biryani and make do with store bought chips :D! To quote my MIL" Its also a great way to sneak in veggies for kids too" :).. More reasons for you to try!!

I had done this when i started of with my blog & always felt i never did justice to the recipe.. As i made this, thought will share it all over again!

Ingredients

1. Beetroot - 2 cups

2. Carrots -  1 cup

3. Potato - 1/2 cup

4. Onion - 3/4 cup

5. Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp

6. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

7. Oil - 1 tbsp

8. Ghee - 1 tbsp 

9. Basamati Rice - 1-1/2 cup
10. Garlic paste -1tsp (optional)
11.Giner paste -1/2tsp

12. Bread Crumbs (optional)**

To Roast & Dry Grind

1. Coriander Seeds/ Dhania - 2 tsp

2. Fennel Seeds/ Saunf - 2tbsp

3. Cloves - 3-4

4. Khus-Khus/Poppy seed- 1tbsp

5. Oil - 1 tsp

(the key is to have poppy seeds half of saunf. Dhania,restrict to the quantity specified. It gives a nice flavor, excess will give you more of sambhar taste!)

Preparation Time!!

1. Soak rice for 20 minutes in water. Drain & pressure cook with 1-1/2 cup water upto 3 whistles

2. In a pan, take the oil & ghee. When warm,add onions, ginger-garlic paste and sauté well

3. Once the onion turns light brown, add finely chopped beetroot, carrot & potatoes and mix well. To this, add the red chilli powder, turmeric powder & salt and cook till well done ( Just like how you would make a stir fry subzi)

4. Meanwhile, as the subzi is getting cooked, in a pan, add 1 tsp oil and sauté all the ingredients mentioned in 'To Roast & grind table'.. Once the aroma wafts & the poppy seeds change color to light brown.. remove off flame..Cool & grind to a semi-fine powder

5. Once when rice is cooked.. spread it a large bowl and cool it completely. Drizzle a few drops of oil to the rice


6. To this add the cooked vegetable, add ground mixture and gently fold in with the rice

7. Bread crumbs sautéed in ghee can be added & mixed in the end along with rice..It tastes wonderful! Unfortunately i ran out of bread, so couldn't include it..

Served this with onion raitha & potato chips.. Tastes good hot & even good for lunch too!

* My Mil doesn't add ginger or garlic.. I use them to enhance the flavor!

Serving - 2-3 people

Duration - 45-50 minutes

Sending this to Chandrani's 'Lunch box Ideas', Ayeesha's 'Healthy Morsels', Krithi's 'Serve it Pressure Cooked' hosted by Denny, Kalyani's Heirloom Recipes hosted by Sara, Divya's Showcase