Vegetable Biryani

Ingredients

• Whole milk

  3.25% milkfat, with added vitamin D

  ¼ cup or 61g

• Saffron

  Spices

  1g

• Rice

  Long Grain, Enriched - Kroger

  16 oz or 454g

• Onions

  Raw

  2 large or 300g

• oz Ghee

  Swad

  110g

• Salt

  Table

  2 ½ tsp or 15g

• Apricots

  Sulfured, stewed, without added sugar, dried

  100g

• Cashews

  Whole - Walgreens

  ½ cup or 60g

• Raisins

  Golden seedless

  ¼ cup, packed or 41g

• Garlic

  Raw

  10 cloves, minced or 30g

• Ginger

  Spices, ground

  50g

• Jalapeno

  Snyder's of Hanover

  100g

• Curry Paste, Garam Masala

  Patak's

  1 tablespoons or 50g

• Anise Star

  Castella

  1g

• Caraway

  Hickory Farms

  ⅓ tablespoons or 5g

• Turmeric

  Spices, ground

  ½ tsp or 1g

• Plain yogurt

  Whole milk, 8 grams protein per 8 ounce

  ½ cup or 123g

• Cauliflower

  Raw

  1 head medium or 588g

• Potato

  Flesh and skin, raw

  1 Potato medium or 213g

• Carrots

  Raw

  1 medium or 61g

• Water

  Plain, clean water

  1 cup or 237g

• Peas

  Edible-podded, frozen, unprepared

  ½ cup or 72g

• Fresh cilantro

  Coriander leaves, raw

  1 cup or 16g

• Mint

  Freshdirect

  16 tablespoon or 48g

• Lime juice

  Raw

  ¼ cup or 61g

• Cardamom

  Spices

  3g

• Cinnamon

  Spices, ground

  100g

• Bay

  Castella

  200g

• Water

  Plain, clean water

  ¹⁄₁₆ cup or 10g

Directions

1. Warm the milk up in a small saucepan set over medium heat until steaming hot, or around 110F (43C) as registered on an instant-read thermometer, about 1-2 minutes. (Alternatively, place milk in a microwave safe bowl and heat on high until steaming hot, about 30 seconds to 1 minute). Grind half of the saffron strands to a fine powder using a mortar and pestle. Add the ground saffron and remaining saffron strands to the hot milk, cover, and let steep until ready to use.
2. Clean the rice of any debris. Place rice in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse it under cold running tap water until the water runs clear. Transfer rice to a medium mixing bowl, cover with fresh cold water, and let it soak for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Drain rice thoroughly.
3. While the rice soaks, add 1/4 cup (60ml) ghee to a 5-quart Dutch oven and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions, season with a pinch of salt, and cook until the onions caramelize and turn a dark shade of golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring with a large wooden spoon or spatula occasionally. (The browning time may vary considerably.) Reduce heat to medium low. Transfer half of the onions to a small bowl. Add apricots, cashews, and raisins to onion remaining in pan and cook until the fruit turns plump and the nuts turn light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a separate small bowl; this will be used for the garnish.
4. Return the onions from the first small bowl to the Dutch oven; if the mixture looks dry, add up to 1 tablepsoon (15ml) oil. Add the garlic, ginger, chile, garam masala, star anise, caraway, and turmeric and saute until fragrant, about 30 to 45 seconds. Stir in the yogurt, cauliflower, potato, carrot, and water, along with 1 teaspoon of salt. Increase heat to medium-high and bring the contents of pot to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and cook, stirring often to prevent the sauce from scorching, until the vegetables are tender enough to be pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes. Once the vegetables are tender, stir in the peas and cook until heated through and tender, about 5 minutes.
5. Turn off heat, taste for seasoning and season with salt, if needed. Fold in cilantro and mint, then transfer contents of pot to medium mixing bowl. Rinse and wipe Dutch oven clean.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the rice. Combine rinsed rice with 4 cups (960 ml) water, lemon juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, green cardamom pods, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon of ghee or oil in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 2 minutes, then strain rice and spices through a fine-mesh strainer; discard the cooking water. The rice will be partially cookeda rice grain broken in half will reveal an outer translucent ring and a tiny, inner opaque ring.
7. Brush the base and the sides of the Dutch oven with the remaining 1 teaspoon of ghee. Using a clean, large wooden spoon or spatula, spread out half of the rice in an even layer in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Add the cooked vegetables with any liquids from the bowl over the rice and spread them carefully in a single layer. Top the vegetables with the remaining rice. Sprinkle the saffron-infused milk over the rice, followed by the rosewater and the pandan water. Garnish the top of the rice with the reserved caramelized onions, dried fruit, and cashew mixture. Cover the Dutch oven with two sheets of aluminum foil, crimp the overhang to form a tight seal, and place the lid on top. Place Dutch oven over medium-low heat and cook until the rice is fully cooked, about 15 minutes.
8. Turn off the heat and let the Dutch oven sit for 5 minutes. Carefully, peel off the aluminum seal. There should be little to no liquid left at the bottom of the pot; to check, make a deep well in the rice all the way to the base of the pot using a chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon. If there is any liquid left at the bottom, reseal the pot, return it to the stove, and cook it over medium low heat for an additional 5-10 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed.
9. Using a fork loosen the rice a little and serve out of the Dutch oven, or transfer to a platter, and serve.
10. (source: https://www.seriouseats.com/vegetable-biryani-5324853)