Plain Biryani or Empty biryani is prepared like any other biryani just without any meat or vegetables. Plain Biryani is more like flavoured vegetarian rice. Basmati rice or any regular rice can be used to prepare this dish. Just avoid using sticky rice variety.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup Ghee
- 2 inches Cinnamon
- 1 Star Anise
- 1 Mace
- 3 Cloves
- 3 Cardamom pods
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1 cup Shallots or Onions, chopped
- 2-3 Green Chillies or 1 Jalapeño
- 30 grams Ginger
- 30 grams Garlic
- 2 Tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 2 teaspoons Chilli powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1/2 cup Mint leaves
- 1/4 cup Curd/Yoghurt
- 1 cup Rice
- 1 1/2 cups Water
- 1/2 cup Coriander leaves
Preparation:
Take ginger, garlic and green chillies in a blender and make it to a paste. Heat ghee in the Instant pot on sauté mode. Add in cinnamon, star anise, cloves, cardamom pods, bay leaves. Fry for about 20 seconds and add in the chopped shallots. Sauté till translucent and add the ginger, garlic and green chilli paste. Sauté till the raw smell of the paste transforms aromatic.
Add the tomatoes followed by salt, turmeric powder, garam masala. Fry till the tomatoes are cooked.
Add mint leaves and yoghurt. Mix them all together.
Add in the washed rice along with water. Check for salt and add more if needed. Close the lid and change the mode in Instant pot from Sauté to Rice(*refer notes). After it’s done allow the steam to settle by itself. Open and fluff it with the help of a fork. Add coriander leaves.
Serve hot with raita.
