Whole Red Lentil Biryani - The Mad Scientists Kitchen

The Biryani as decorated by kid number 2

Masoor Biryani is a great way to include pulses in your diet. Especially important for vegetarians is the proteins they provide and it tastes delicious. It can also be used by the old as the spice levels are mild. You can add or remove vegetable as you like. The other day I made it again and I used carrots & paneer you can use French beans, peas, carrots, corn.

My SIL had come over for a short stay during the Christmas vacation and she showed me this biryani.

The main ingredients are rice, masoor, vegetables coriander leaves.

The other biryani I have tried are Kerala Malabar Style Egg Biryani, Methi Matar Biryani, Baked Kabuli Chana Biryani, Myth Buster Dum Mushroom Biryani, Hyderabadi Dum Biryani, Zatpat Corn Biryani, Simple Egg BiryaniMasoor Biryani| Whole Red Lentil Biryani

Ingredients:

1 cup masoor
2 cups rice
1 bay leaf
1 cup vegetables of your choice (I used more than one cup it is generally 2 cups)
½ cup curds
Some strands of saffron
½ cup milk2 tablespoon oil (i needed about 3 tbsp)
2 tablespoon oil (i needed about 3 tbsp)

For grinding:

1 Onion, coarsely chopped
1 bunch Coriander
A handful of pudina/mint leaves
1 inch Ginger
10-15 cloves garlic
2-inch piece Dalchini/cinnamon
4 Cloves
½ tsp Sahajeera/cumin seeds
2 Green chillies (adjust as per taste)
Salt

For garnishing:

3 onions chopped fine lengthwise
Cashew nut
Raisins

Method:

To the onion cut lengthwise apply a salt and set aside. Soak the saffron in milk.

Salted Onions

Wash and drain the masoor add 1 cup water and some salt.

Masoor salted and ready for the cooker

Transfer to the pressure cooker and cook for 1 whistle. Let the pressure come down naturally. The masoor should be half cooked.

The cooked masoor

Wash the rice, add salt, bay leaf 2 cups water and cook the rice. The rice should not be fully cooked. Let it cool and then fluff it up with a fork.

In a kadhai heat oil and then fry the cashew nut remove, fry the raisins remove now add the onions and fry till the onions are brown in colour transfer on an absorbent paper.

While these are cooking grind all the ingredients listed under for grinding to a fine paste.

In the oil (I needed about a tablespoon more oil) that you have fried the onions add the ground paste and fry till the oil comes out. Add the curd and fry well.

The masala frying

7. Add the masoor stir fry till a little soft (takes about 5-10 minutes), add the vegetable. If you are using paneer it will be a good idea not to fry them. Cook till done.

The fried masala

To Assemble the Biryani:
Grease a thick bottomed pan (I used the cooker) with ghee.
Add a layer of the rice, top up with the fried masala, paneer, layer rice.
Continue layering the top most layer has to be rice.
Now pour the saffron and milk mixture all around the biryani.

Assembled Biryani

Close the lid and steam on low flame without the whistle till the steam rises from the vent in the cooker.

Let it stand for about 10 minutes before opening.

Serve with raita, dahi boondi.

Here I have served with Vad morka and dahi boondi.

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