Biriyani is one of the most daunting recipes for me to cook. I always make the biriyani as a weekend lunch when I have more time to make it. I have always used fresh spices in the past and never even realized that there is a Biriyani Masala powder available in the stores until one of my friends who is moving away gave me her box of Biriyani Masala. That is when I thought of making the quick Simple Cabbage Biriyani for dinner. When it comes to making one-pot meals, rice is the best choice. The options are just unlimited to make with rice. One-pot rice recipes are very popular at our house and I make them at least once a week. One of the very favorite rice recipes of my little one is this Spinach rice. I also have another version of Spinach rice with peas that I make often. When I was all set to make Biriyani with the masala powder, that is when I realized I did not have many many vegetables. It was just the end of the school year and things were too busy. All I had was some cabbage and bell pepper in the refrigerator and hence thought why don’t I make Biriyani out of just these two vegetables? I love the crunchiness of cabbage in fried rice and thought this would be a great choice. The one pot Biriyani, I have made in the past is still a simple recipe, but I have made freshly ground masala paste. Using the biriyani masala is definitely the easy way out without compromising on the flavors. I am sure I will be using the store-bought Biriyani masala a little too often from now on. Preparation time - 20 minutesCooking time - 45 minutesDifficulty level - Easy
Ingredients to make Simple Cabbage Biriyani - (serves 4)
Basmati rice - 1 ½ cups Onion - 1 (thinly sliced) Cabbage - 2 cups (thinly sliced) Bell pepper - 1 (thinly sliced) Red chili powder - 1 tsp Dhania jeera powder / cumin-coriander powder - 1 tsp Biriyani masala - 2 tsp Turmeric powder - ½ tsp Salt - to taste Fresh mint - about ½ a bunch (coarsely chopped) Yogurt (Plain) - 3 TBSP Star anise - 1 Fennel - ½ tsp Cardamom - 3 Oil or Ghee - 2 Tbsp
Procedure to make Simple Spiced Cabbage Rice -
Cook the rice with star anise and ½ teaspoon of salt and keep aside to cool. I cooked my rice on the stovetop in a saucepan.
Wash and soak the rice for about 20 minutes. Add star anise to about 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Add the drained rice along with salt to the boiling water and mix.
Let it come to a quick boil and then simmer until all the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked. Cover the rice and let it finish cooking.
Turn off the flame when the rice water is all gone. Let the rice stand for a few minutes and then spread it in a wide bowl or tray to cool.
In a pan, heat the oil or ghee. Add the fennel seeds and cardamom and let it fry for a couple of minutes.
Add the sliced onions and let it saute until translucent.
Now add the bell pepper and the cabbage and mix well. Also, add the chopped mint and let it all cook until the cabbage and the bell pepper are ¾th cooked. Make sure that the cabbage and the pepper still maintain some crunch to it.
Now add all the dry masala powders; turmeric powder, red chili powder, dhania jeera powder, biriyani masala, and the salt needed.
Mix well and add the yogurt. Saute until the oil starts to separate and the mixture becomes aromatic. It takes about 5 to 7 minutes in medium flame.
Add the cooked and cooled rice to the vegetable mixture and gently mix. Take care that we don’t break the rice. Cover the pan for 4 to 5 minutes and simmer.
Turn off the heat and serve the spiced cabbage rice hot with raita.
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