Hyderabadi Veg Biryani Recipe (Vegetable Dum Biryani)

Looking for restaurant-style vegetable dum biryani at home? Here is an authentic Hyderabadi veg biryani recipe layered with fragrant basmati rice, marinated vegetables and golden fried onions. It is deeply flavorful, easy to cook on stovetop and pairs wonderfully with raita and brinjal gravy.

My biryani series won’t get a meaning without this India’s most popular Hyderabadi Nawab style Veg DUM biryani recipe. Few weeks back I had tasted this vegetable biryani in “Hyderabad biryani house” restaurant in Jayanagar 4th block. They serve with raita and a brinjal gravy. I loved that combo. I was thinking to give a try at home but was skeptical about the output.

Finally my dream came true with the help of this youtube video. He had explained it so well even an amateur can make it easily. I made small changes in the actual recipe. I never thought this biryani is so easy to make with a delectable taste and flavor. This is one of the best biryani I have ever tried.

Actually when I made this biryani, painting work was going on in my house. In spite of the strong paint smell, the aroma of this biryani was wafting through our house and made us feel hungry. I am not kidding. Just try and see for yourself. You will absolutely love its flavor, taste and give a thumbs up for sure. I did not follow the authentic DUM method by sealing the kadai with wheat flour dough and putting charcoal over it. But still the result was very tasty. Ok, enough of hype, lets see how to make this Hyderabad vegetable biryani at home using DUM method with step by step pictures.

Last but not the least, Please don’t forget to leave your feedback in this page if you try this recipe. I will be more happy to know it.

Quick Notes for US & Abroad Kitchens

• Basmati Rice Selection: I always recommend using aged, long-grain basmati rice like India Gate Classic, Royal or Daawat Extra Long. In my kitchen, I soak the rice for 30 to 45 minutes before cooking, which allows the grains to elongate beautifully without breaking when layered.
• Electric & Glass-Top Stove Heat Control: When I cook on electric or glass-top stoves, I find the heating elements retain heat for a long time. When shifting from boiling rice to low-flame dum, I always suggest moving the heavy pot to a secondary burner set on low (setting 1 to 2) or placing a flat cast iron dosa tawa underneath the pot. I do this to distribute heat gently so the bottom vegetable layer never burns.
• Fried Onions (Birista): While I personally love slicing and deep-frying fresh onions at home for the richest aroma, I also suggest store-bought fried onions (available at Indian grocery stores) as a great time-saving option when you are making this biryani for weekend get-togethers.
• Vegetable Pre-cut Tip: If you are using pre-cut bagged carrots or potatoes from Trader Joe’s or Costco, I recommend cutting them into slightly larger bite-sized cubes. I find this prevents them from turning mushy during the 20-minute dum cooking.

Hyderabadi Veg Biryani Recipe (Vegetable Dum Biryani)

Chitra

Learn how to make awesome, flavourful Hyderabad Nawab style veg dum biryani at home with step-by-step photos and practical dum cooking tips.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Biryani, lunch

Cuisine Indian

Servings 3 servings

Ingredients

  

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Basmati Rice & Cooking Water (1 cup = 250 ml)

• 1 cup Basmati rice (approx. 200 g / 7 oz – I used India Gate)
• 4 cups Water (approx. 1 liter / 34 fl oz)
• 2 pieces each Cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and black stone flower
• 1 no. Bay leaf
• 1 tbsp Ghee (approx. 15 ml)
• Salt as needed for boiling rice

For Vegetable Marination

• 1 no. Carrot (approx. 100 g, peeled and cubed)
• 1 no. Potato (approx. 120 g, peeled and cubed)
• 1 small piece Cinnamon
• 1 no. Cardamom
• 2 nos. Cloves
• 1 no. Green chilli (slitted – optional, I didn’t use)
• 2 tsp Ginger garlic paste (freshly ground – 8 garlic cloves and 1 1/2 inch ginger)
• ¾ to 1 tsp Red chilli powder
• ½ tsp Garam masala powder
• ⅛ tsp Turmeric powder
• Salt as needed for vegetable masala
• 3 tbsp Curd / Plain yogurt (semi-solid, approx. 45 ml / 1.5 fl oz)
• ½ tbsp Lemon juice
• handful Finely chopped mint and coriander leaves
• 3 tbsp Cooking oil (oil in which onions were fried)
• 1 no. Fried onions (thinly sliced and golden fried)

For Topping & Dum Layering

• 2 tbsp Warm milk with soaked saffron strands (approx. 30 ml / 1 fl oz)
• 2 tbsp Finely chopped mint and coriander leaves
• ½ no. Fried onions (reserved for garnish)
• 5 tbsp Reserved cooked rice water (to drizzle around edges)

Instructions

 

• Wash and soak the basmati rice for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Wash and peel the skin of potato and carrot. Cut them into small cubes (I chopped like the way served in Hyderabad biryani house). Set aside. Slice onions. Soak saffron threads in warm milk.
• Heat cooking oil in a pan and deep-fry the onion slices. Fry till golden brown and remove onto a plate. Do not burn them, just fry carefully on medium flame.
  
• Remove half of the roasted onions and reserve it for final garnishing.
  
• In a non-stick kadai or heavy-bottomed pot, take the chopped veggies. Add cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, curd, garam masala powder, salt, half the fried onions, lemon juice, 3 tbsp oil in which onions were fried, finely chopped mint and coriander leaves. Mix well and check for taste. Let this mixture marinate for 30 to 45 minutes.
  
• In the meantime, boil 4 cups of water in a wide pot and add the drained, soaked basmati rice. In the water, add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, black stone flower, bay leaf, 1 tbsp of ghee along with half the salt for rice. (Add salt carefully because we have added salt in veggie masala too).
  
• Let the rice cook on medium flame for 20 minutes. By now rice will be cooked to 80%. Check whether the rice breaks but it should be firm in shape. Remove the rice alone and keep the water. Do not discard it.
  
• Now layer the 80% cooked rice over the marinated masala mixture. Add the reserved rice cooked water all around the rice. I added around 5 tbsp of water. Please note the quantity of water may vary as per the water quantity retained in masala, so make sure you don’t add more water or it will make the rice mushy.
  
• Add the saffron soaked milk and finely chopped mint and coriander leaves on top.
  
• Close the kadai with a tight lid or plate so that steam does not escape. Keep a weight over the plate (I kept a bowl with water, or you can even place a heavy stone).
  
• Switch on the flame and turn it to very low. Let the biryani cook in very low flame for 20 to 25 minutes. No need to open in the middle, but make sure you don’t get any burning smell. Your house will be completely covered with an awesome aroma of biryani when it’s cooked! Now remove the plate, gently fluff the rice with a fork, garnish with the remaining fried onions and serve hot.

Notes

• Add more red chilli powder for extra spicy taste. But we felt 1 tsp is enough and it was spicy too.
• If you want to make this biryani for around 10 people, you can use 3 cups of rice and just increase the spices (use 2.5 times quantity mentioned above). Check for taste and add more chilli powder, garam masala accordingly. I have not tried these measures. I am just giving with a rough calculation as one of my friends suggested me to add this point in all my biryani posts which would be helpful for people making biryani for parties and get together.

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Enjoy with raita and brinjal gravy! Make this awesome biryani for your guests and family in weekends. Have a delectable meal.