I love it with a passion…I love it so much that I dream about it. I’m not a foodie, however the cravings (if any) I have are for just this one…..the one and only Hyderabadi Dum Biryani.
Spending the first 25 years of my life in Hyderabad, I would often end up travelling right across town to meet up with a like minded friend to have biryani. We infact worked together and would finish our 3AM shift, walk right across the road to the biryani place…and binge on Midnight Biryani. What else could one ask for….great food, great company! Ah those were the days.
My first biryani experience in the land of opportunities was a damp squib. Proximity dictated the restaurant we chose, and my tongue dictated my disppointment. Till this day it has been a year and I still hesitate to step into an Indian Cuisine place, unless we are meeting friends who don’t like to experiment cuisines.
I decided to dedicate this Nizamshahi delicacy for Sharmi’s event JFI- Rice, brainchild of Indira. This is my 50th post too 
NOTE: I like my veggies to be crunchy, so I don’t boil them.
This recipe serves 2 as the main course and we normally just eat it without any appetizer or roti and just with a raitha.
Ingredients:
1 cup Basmati rice
1 potato
1 onion
1 carrot
1 capsicum
2 tomatoes
a handful of french beans
2 tablespoons of curd
1/4 cup poppy seeds
1 teaspoon of minced fresh ginger
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 teaspoon of garam masala
3 green chillies
1 teaspoon of red chili powder
Oil, salt to taste
1 tablespoon of ghee/butter/margarine
A pinch of saffron, soaked in a small cup of warm milk
A few sprigs of cilantro and mint.
Method:
1. Wash the basmati rice , soak atleast for 15 min and cook pouring 2 cups of water, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a few drops of ghee until done. Remove and keep aside.
2. In a skillet, brown the onions and keep aside.
3.In a skillet heat oil and add the ginger, garlic and green chillies and saute for a minute. Add a tablespoon of curd and keep stirring until it evaporates, repeat with another tablespoon, when the water evaporates completely, add the vegetables except onions, salt and stir and cook covered for atleast 10 minutes.( remember , some salt is already added to the rice)
4. Crush the poppy seeds and add to the vegetables. Add garam masala, chili powder , mix and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. In a greased baking dish layer the rice first and then add the vegetable curry and then add the rice. if the quanitity is more than you can add more layers. I could just get to 3 layers.
6. Preheat the oven at 375F and meanwhile garnish the layers of rice and curry with cilantro , mint and cashews if you want. Also add the saffron milk and ghee to it. Cover with an aluminium foil and on top of it place a plate or any cover which is heavy and bake for a good 30 minutes. Some of the rice gets crispy and brown and is a real treat.
7. Once out of the oven, garnish with browned onions and serve hot with raitha.
August 21st, 2007 at 7:42 pm
I find Hyderabadi Biryanis truly exotic though I’ve never had the opportunity to taste them. Yours looks lovely.
August 21st, 2007 at 8:10 pm
I can eat it off that pic! Bookmarked to try.
August 21st, 2007 at 8:10 pm
my comment got lost
August 21st, 2007 at 10:29 pm
Can you take my order and parcel them to me?
That photo had me drooling!
August 21st, 2007 at 10:34 pm
Hmmm… lovely dish for a milestone post. Congrats
August 21st, 2007 at 10:48 pm
I recently read an article stating that Sania Mirza was asked to cut Hyderabadi Biriyani first thing when she entered a diet plan. Then and there I knew it was addictive
Question: Why do you add curd one tbsp at a time?
August 22nd, 2007 at 1:25 am
I’ve *gulp* never tasted Hyderabadi biryani… but this recipe is tempting me to try! Sounds really yummy.
August 22nd, 2007 at 4:26 am
Dee, congratulations!!:)
Good that you made a beautiful dish for the event and for the 50th.Looks perfect, my fave too! Good job.
August 22nd, 2007 at 4:28 am
Congrats Dee, Thats a great way to celebrate with Hyd Dum Veg Biryani… Keep it up Girl!!!
http://themistressofspices.wordpress.com/
August 22nd, 2007 at 4:51 am
Why did u make this for only 2 people, I thought of inviting myself to have your Hyd Dum Biryani, I have fond memories for this and I like the ones at “Bawarchi’s” did you try it?
Loved your recipe and the crunch in your veggies…and congratulations on your 50th Post…
August 22nd, 2007 at 6:07 am
love your blog dee. keep up the good work. how is hyd biryani different from the lucknowi one?
August 22nd, 2007 at 9:16 am
ALways love biriyani… Now im hungry!
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:46 am
biryani looks so appetizing
congrats on the 50th!
August 22nd, 2007 at 1:50 pm
o.k… god knows where that comment I just posted disappeared! grrrrrrrr…. this is the 3rd time this is happening when I leave a comment on a wordpress blog.
Enough ranting now… as I was saying- I’ve never tasted a Hyd. biryani before. Yours looks so good!
Congrats on completing 50 posts!;-)
August 22nd, 2007 at 1:54 pm
waaw Hybd dum biryani looks yum. that too veg! you have so little in your plate:( it will not fill my tummy!! Congrats on your 50th post. keep them coming!!
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:10 pm
The Biryani is tempting Dee. Congrats on 50th Post. Keep going. Love to read your recipes. Viji
August 23rd, 2007 at 4:58 pm
Thanks guys for the wonderful comments! U gals keep me going !!
@ madhuli, you are welcome, send me ur address and will be sent in a jiffy!
@ Suganya, I do it, so that the curd doesnt break due to the heat and the water evaporates faster and the remaining content browns nicely, I dont like the white specs of curd here and ther
@ Bee , Meat biryanis are more famouse and the way they are cooked is for hyd biryani the rice is layered and bottom layer is cooked more than the upper layers and ingredients( meat) are normally not cooked prior to putting in the dum, for they lucknowi biryani, they fry,/saute the ingredients ( rice too) and cook in dum pukht style. Tahiri ( lucknow biryani) is more like pulao.
August 23rd, 2007 at 5:01 pm
@ Padma, we were supposed to be on a diet!!!! If our trainer knew what we were upto, we would be in a boot camp!!! Bawarchi, bahar, green park, dum pukht …. u name it I have been there. Sometimes I think, the next time I go to India, I should eat only biryani for atleast 2 weeks , hopefully will be satiated!
@ Coffee, do let me know how you like it. I used garam masala but you can use whole spices, it tastes better!
August 28th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
That looks seriously good. It will make an excellent weekday dinner treat on night soon…
August 28th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
That looks absolutely delicious! I am going to try it out pretty soon.
August 30th, 2007 at 7:57 am
i love one pot meal and ur biriyani looks seriously good. congrats dee for hitting half century
September 2nd, 2007 at 1:53 pm
One of my favourites too. Liked your version.
September 5th, 2007 at 2:58 am
Quiet for 3 weeks?
September 5th, 2007 at 9:33 am
Thanks Mallika Chikki and sia for the wonderful comments. It was absolutely simple and delicious,
Vadina, I am down and under for abt 3 weeks now. Just logged in to see your messages, Bed rest is what it is. I hope to be fine for varalakshmi vratam this last friday. Otherwise Im not really doing anything in the kitchen. just freezing stuff. Thanks for asking and the blackberry is a new addition??
September 6th, 2007 at 11:05 am
Love Hyderabadi biryani Dee…hope you get well soon
September 13th, 2007 at 11:15 am
Wow, it looks so good that I’m going to save this page and prepare it in nearest future…
Thank you for sharing the recipe.
If you have a while please take a look at the most Inspiring Food Photography competition at my page, nominate 3 of your favourites from any pages on the net…
Greetings from London, Margot
September 13th, 2007 at 11:57 am
A wonderful recipe celebrating your milestone…love biryani
September 15th, 2007 at 7:51 am
The Biryani looks lovely, its totally my type of food, rice, veg and loads of spice. Will try it soon.
Cheers
M
September 25th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
Hi Dee, thanks for visiting my blog!
your biryani looks yummy..I’ve been looking for some nice recipes and sharmi’s JFI-Rice gave me a bundle of these!! yours has been bookmarked too:)
July 15th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
hi,
Biriyani is my favourite dish. But this procedure is new to me. Your photograph is simply superb. Thank you for sharing.
August 17th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
I am from Hyderabad too, and I am proud to have learnt the Hyderabadi way of cooking. Nice to read that you are a Hyderabadi too Dee!
Your version of Vegetarian Biryani sounds delicious.
April 26th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
ur version of biriyani was nice ,thank you
December 1st, 2009 at 7:16 am
if oven is not there the how? reply me soon plz…………
coz i like dum biriyani very very much.