This Easy Vegan Biryani is one of my favorite fragrant rice dishes. It is jam-packed with delicious Indian flavors like cardamom, cumin, coriander, and cinnamon. This recipe makes a lot of rice, so it is great to feed a crowd. Even if you’re not feeding a crowd, this rice will keep and it tastes even better the next day!
To make this biryani, start by sautéing onions with garlic and veggies. Once tender, remove one cup of the vegetables from the pan. Add spices and bay leaf and add rice, stock and salt. Top the rice with chickpeas, raisins and the cup of veggies you set aside. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cover the pot with a thin dish towel. Place a lid over the towel, and bring the four corners of the towel up and over the lid. This creates a tight seal on the pan and will keep the steam in the pan while allowing the rice to cook more quickly and evenly.
To make my Easy Vegan Biryani, you will need the following ingredients:
Soak 2 cups of rice in a bowl of hot water while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet, or shallow Dutch oven, over medium-high heat. Add a large thinly sliced onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often.
Reduce heat to medium and add 1 thinly sliced red bell pepper, 1 cup of diced carrot, 4 roughly chopped garlic cloves, and 2 teaspoons of grated fresh ginger. Remove one cup of this mixture and set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon each of cumin and coriander, 1 teaspoon each of chili powder
and cinnamon, and ½ a teaspoon each of cardamom and ground turmeric to the onions along with 2 bay leaves and stir for one minute to toast the spices.
Drain the rice and add it to the skillet along with the stock and salt.
Top with 1 can of chickpeas, ½ a cup of raisins and the cup of cooked veggies you set aside.
Bring the mixture to a simmer over high heat, and turn the heat down to low. Cover the pot with a thin kitchen towel and place the lid over the towel, while bringing the four corners up and over the lid. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until the rice has absorbed all the liquid.
Serve with your favorite chutney.
This Easy Vegan Biryani is a simple fragrant rice dish that will go down a treat with the whole family. Don’t forget to tag #CookMeRecipes if you decide to try this Indian biryani!
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