Khumb Aur Matar Biryani

I am a huge fan of Nita Mehta's cook books as I find the recipes therein totally doable.  My friend Avani, gifted me Nita Mehta's  Vegetarian Mughlai . This recipe is from this book  with the only change being the original recipe is Aloo and  Khumb Biryani.  I love mushrooms too. The biryani turned out delicous and just right with the delicate flavours of the spices wafting thru. Served it with chicken, raita and my current favourite -- lychee sorbet....:) :)

Ingredients :

200 grams or 1 packet fresh mushrooms, each cut into 4 pieces

1 bowl boiled peas.

1 tomato chopped

1/2 cup curd

2 onions : Sliced (the recipe actually asks for them to be ground to paste)

10 flakes garlic and 1  ginger crushed to paste (1.5 tbspns)

3/4 tsp red chilli; 1/4 tsp turmeric powder

2 cloves -- crushed

1 tspn salt.

Garam masala to taste.

3-4 tbspn chopped coriander.

Rice :

1 cup basmati rice, washed and kept in strainer for 30 minutes.

1.5 tsp salt.

2 pinches mace/javitri; 2 -3 green cardamoms; 1/2" stick cinnamon.

To seal for dum (optional)

Aluminium foil and dough

Cook the rice with the salt and the javitri/cardamoms/ cinnamon. Do not overcook.  Place aside.

Heat 4 tbspns of oil. Add the onions till they turn brown. Add the ginger - garlic paste, turmeric powder , red chilli powder and mix well. Let it cook for a minute or till the garlic is no longer smells raw.  Add the tomato and cook till mashed and oil separates out. Reduce flame . Add curd , stirring continuously to prevent curdling. Bhuno till oil separates. To prevent the curd from curdling , it is very important to cook on a low flame.  Add crushed cloves and mix well. Add the mushrooms and chuno for 5 minutes on medium flame. Add slat and garam masala to taste.  Mix in coriander. Mix in the boiled peas and bhuno for 1 -2 minutes. 

To assemble the biryani, spread the khumb masala in a baking dish.

Top it with rice. Heat 1 tbspn ghee and spread over the rice. Sprinkle 2 pinches of javitri powder. 

Cover the dish with the aluminium foil pressing the edges well. Seal the end of the dish by pressing the dough strip on the foil  ( talk of modern dum..hee hee hee) 

Keep in the preheated oven for 'dum' at 150 deg C for 30 minutes. Serve hot !! While I did stick to the dum, I feel it may be skipped as we are layering only once.

Bon Appetit!!!!!!!