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Vegetable Sindhi biryani
Sindhi biryani from Karachi and Hyderabad (Sindh): layered rice with potatoes, dried plums, tomatoes, mint and lots of green chilli
Sindhi biryani is the biryani of Karachi, Hyderabad and the rest of Sindh, and it is the one people order by the deg (a huge pot) for weddings, Eid lunches and every big family gathering. What makes it Sindhi is the tang and the heat: plenty of tomatoes, yogurt, whole green chillies and sour dried plums (aloo bukhara) in the masala, with chunks of potato that soak up all of it. This vegetable version keeps all of that and swaps the meat for potato, carrot, cauliflower and peas, layered with half-cooked basmati, fried onions, mint and saffron milk, then steamed shut. A common mistake is boiling the rice until soft before layering; take it out when a grain still has a firm white core, because it finishes in the steam. Chef's tip: fry the onions until deep brown but not black, and keep the oil they fried in; it carries their flavour into every layer.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the rice
For the vegetable masala
For layering
Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Heat ½ cup sunflower oil in a wide heavy pot over a medium heat and fry 3 onions, stirring often, for 15–18 minutes until evenly deep brown and crisp at the edges. Lift out half onto kitchen paper; leave the rest and the oil in the pot.
18 minStep 2: Add 3 potatoes and 2 carrots to the oil and fry over a medium-high heat for 5 minutes until the potatoes have golden patches.
5 minStep 3: Stir in 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste for 1 minute, then add 4 tomatoes, 2 tsp red chilli powder, 2 tbsp biryani masala, ½ tsp ground turmeric and 1 ½ tsp salt. Cook on a medium heat for 8 minutes, mashing the tomatoes, until the masala is thick and the oil separates.
9 minStep 4: Lower the heat, stir in 7 oz plain yogurt, then add 9 oz cauliflower, 8 dried sour plums (aloo bukhara), 6 green chillies and 150 ml water. Cover and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes, until a knife goes into the potato with a little resistance. Stir in 3 ½ oz green peas. The masala should be thick and clinging, not soupy; boil off any extra liquid uncovered.
12 minStep 5: Meanwhile bring 12 ½ cups water to a rolling boil with 2 tbsp salt, 2 bay leaves, 4 cloves and 1 star anise. Drain the soaked 16 oz basmati rice, add it and boil hard for 5–6 minutes, until a grain pressed between your fingers breaks into pieces but still has a firm white centre. Drain at once.
6 minStep 6: Spread half the rice over the vegetable masala in the pot. Scatter over half each of ⅔ oz fresh mint leaves, ⅔ oz fresh coriander, the reserved fried onions and the slices of 1 lemon. Add the rest of the rice and the rest of the herbs, onions and lemon.
Step 7: Drizzle 1 pinch saffron threads and 3 tbsp warm milk over the top in streaks, plus 1 tsp kewra water if using. Cover tightly with foil and the lid (or seal with a strip of dough).
Step 8: Cook over a medium heat for 3 minutes, until you hear the bottom sizzle and see steam at the edge, then turn the heat to the lowest setting (a flat tawa under the pot helps) and steam for 20 minutes. Rest off the heat for 5 minutes.
25 minStep 9: Open the pot and mix gently from the side with a wide spoon, bringing up the red masala through the white and yellow rice. Serve with raita and a sliced onion and cucumber salad.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 82 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does vegetable Sindhi biryani take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of basmati rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
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