Pudhina Biriyani | Mint Rice

This flavorful and color biriyani is my favourite one pot meal and I had this first time in my PG. I love the potato in this very much. Adding potato is optional. But it tastes very good. Give a try once. This biriyani tastes good with normal raitha or simple potato chips. Every Sunday lunch was only this in my PG. My friends and I love it very much.  We used to have with chips as the raitha wouldn’t be good.

Let us see how to prepare this yummy biriyani.

Ingredients:

Basmati rice – 2 cups

Mint leaves | Pudhina – 1 cup tightly packed

Coriander leaves – 1 cup tightly packed

Green Chili – 4 Nos

Onion – 1 big

Ginger & Garlic paste – 1 tsp

Tomato – 2 medium size

Oil – 1 tbsp

Curry leaves

Cinnamon – 2

Star anise – 2

Cardamom – 4

Rose petals – few (optional)

Kalpasi - few (optional)

Method:

Soak basmati rice for 30 minutes or more.

Clean and wash the mint leaves and coriander leaves.  Chop roughly

Chop onion and green chilies length wise. As we are not adding chili powder or any spice powder, adjust green chilies as per your taste bud.  At the same time be careful in adding green chilies as it increases spiciness.

Peel off potato skin. Chop the potato into cubes as shown in the pic. Immerse it in water till you cook.

Now take the chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves in a blender. Add little sugar to avoid color change after grinding. Blend it to a smooth paste adding little water.

Drain water completely from basmati rice.

Now heat oil in a cooker. Add all the whole spices.

Saute for 1 minute in medium flame to avoid burnt.

Now add ginger garlic paste. Saute for few seconds.

Add green chilies, curry leaves and onion. Fry till the onion changes color.

Once the onion color changes, add chopped tomato. Cook till the oil oozes out.

Now add the potato cubes. Cook for a min so that the veggie get spiciness.

Now add the mint & coriander paste.

Mix well and cook for 5 mins or till the raw smell goes off. It should become thick paste

Add water and required salt. (For 1 cup rice I have added 1.5 cup of water). Let it roll boil.

Now add rice and mix well. Close the cookware lid and keep the flame in medium. Leave it for 1 whistle. Sim to low flame for 2 minutes and switch off the flame. Don’t leave for more whistles.

Let the pressure subsides by itself.

Open the lid, mix the rice with fork carefully.

Transfer to serving bowl.

Serve hot with raitha and potato chips.

Note:

Soak the rice minimum for 30 minutes and wash thoroughly.

After opening the cookware, you can add a tsp of fresh lemon juice and mix with fork carefully.