Spiced Vegetable Biryani

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Fried onion

1. 1
   Heat the oil in a wide pot over medium heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveWide, shallow pot
2. 2
   Add the onion and fry for 15 minutes, stirring, until the onion is soft and deep golden.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.

To assemble

1. 3
   Add the garlic and ginger and fry 1 minute, just until fragrant.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove
2. 4
   Add the carrot, cauliflower and peas and fry 5 minutes, stirring.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove
3. 5
   Add the rice and the turmeric, cumin, cardamom and paprika and stir 2 minutes, until all the grains are coated in fat.
4. 6
   Add the water, season with salt and black pepper and bring to a boil.

   Stove
5. 7
   Turn down to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes without opening the lid, until the liquid is absorbed.

   ⚙ SimmeringStoveLid

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
6. 8
   Turn off the heat and leave covered 5–10 minutes.

   💡Don't open the lid during cooking: the steam is what cooks the top layer. A towel between the pot and the lid absorbs the drips, so the rice doesn't get soggy.
7. 9
   Gently fluff with a fork and serve with slice lemon and cilantro leaves.