Easy Vegetable Biryani Recipe (Pressure Cooker-Rice Cooker Method)

I always turn to my trusted rice cooker when it comes to making an easy vegetable biryani on a busy weeknight or lazy weekend. Biryani is often seen as time-consuming and needing many ingredients but it needn't be that way. Often, I just make this one-pot, healthy, and easy vegetable biryani with whatever vegetables I have in hand and it makes a wholesome meal with some raita and papad. I have quite a few different biryani recipes in here so check it out if you want some variety. Here's an easy veg pulao recipe if that's what you are after but this veg biryani with mirchi ka salan makes a fabulous meal - highly recommended! You may also want to try this egg biryani for a spicy treat or a very simple vegetable rice if you are short on time.

So if you are not a biryani purist (and for my sake, I hope you are not!), then this one-pot vegetable biryani that you can make in your pressure cooker or rice cooker may be just the thing you need in your life. I use store-bought biryani masala because I am not the kind pf person who makes biryani masala at home but you can use freshly ground spices if you are feeling up to it. I have done that once or twice but find that biryani masala works just as well. Another option is to temper with whole spices which would give your biryani a much lighter colour but it would taste awesome either ways.

VEGETABLE BIRYANI RECIPE (RICE COOKER METHOD)

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of basmati or any long-grained rice
• 2 cups of mixed vegetables, chopped (I use what I have in hand - broccoli, carrots, beans, cauliflower, peas, corn, baby corn, capsicum, etc)
• 2 tsp of biryani masala (or 3 cloves, 3 cardamom, 1" piece cinnamon, 1 star anise)
• 1 fistful of mint leaves
• 1 small bunch of coriander leaves (cilantro)
• 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds
• 1 tsp of coriander powder
• 2-3 green chillies, minced
• 1 tsp of red chilli powde (adjust to taste)
• 2 large onions, sliced
• 1/2 cup of curd (optional)
• 1 tbsp of ghee
• A few cashew nuts or almonds (optional)
• 1 tsp of ginger garlic paste

How to Make Veg Biryani in Rice Cooker:

0. Wash the rice and and soak it in some water while you go about with the rest of the preparations.

1. Heat the ghee in a wide pan and roast the nuts (if using) Drain and add the sliced onions and roast until golden brown. Set aside half of it and add ginger garlic paste. Saute until fragrant.

2. Next, add the green chillies, chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin, and some salt. Saute until the spices are roasted - about 1 minute.

3. Top off with the chopped vegetables and mix well. Add the biryani masala and the chopped mint and coriander leaves (see notes on how to use whole spices).

4. Transfer this to your rice cooker pan and add about 2 cups water and the curd - the measurements will vary according to rice cooker used - and the soaked rice. (See notes for pressure cooker biryani method)

5, When the rice is done, open immediately and give it a good stir-through when still hot. Add the reserved roasted nuts and onions. Garnish with more coriander leaves and sprinkle some lemon juice if desired.

Serve with papad or chips and a nice cooling raita.

Notes:

1. If using whole spices instead of the biryani masala, add it first to the hot ghee and then roast the onions. You will also need to increase the amounts of cumin and coriander powder to make sure the spice levels are right. Of course, adapt this to personal preference
2. If using the pressure cooker, I highly recommend only cooking for about 2 whistles, otherwise the vegetables will turn to mush. I generally use the rice cooker for vegetable biryani and it gives great results
3. A biryani is one of those dishes where you need to play around with the ingredients and make it your own. Don't be afraid to experiment, I always do and my vegetable biryanis never look or taste the same every time

For Vegetable Biryani recipe in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, etc please use the Google Translate button on the top right of this website.

Jeera Rice | Cumin Rice | Jeera Pulao | Rice Cooker Recipes

Jeera rice is probably the easiest thing to make in a rice cooker. I make it occasionally when I don't have the energy to cook up anything beyond a simple dal tadka and don't feel like rolling out rotis. The simple addition of fried jeera to cooking eliminates the need for a rasam or kozhambu. Win!

Jeera Rice with Malai Kofta

I got my rice cooker end of last year and have since cooked many things in it apart from plain 'ol rice. I have a Zojirushi Induction Rice Cooker and the consistency of rice cooked in this is unbelievably good.

JEERA RICE RECIPE - JEERA PULAO RECIPE

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Jeera Rice in Rice Cooker

by Nags August-17-2012

Jeera rice (or cumin rice) is an easy, flavourful rice dish that's made even easier in the rice cooker.

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice
• 3 tsp jeera / cumin
• 1 tbsp ghee / clarified butter
• 1 tbsp oil
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Wash and rinse the rice until the water runs clear. 2. Transfer to the rice cooker bowl and add enough water to cook it. This will vary according to type of rice used. If using basmati rice, soak for 30 mins before proceeding. 2. Heat oil+ghee in a pan and add the jeera. When they sizzle and have turned a deep brown, remove from fire and dunk into the rice+water mixture. Add salt. 4. Cook according to your rice cooker instructions. In my Zojirushi Rice Cooker, it takes about 40 mins since it's an induction rice cooker. The texture of the rice comes out perfect each time. 5. Fluff with a fork when done and serve hot with side dish of choice.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 50 mins     Yield: 2 servings

Step by Step Pictures for Jeera (Cumin) Rice

Serve hot with any side dish that goes with roti or even plain dal tadka.

Sambar Sadam Recipe | Sambar Rice Recipe (Rice Cooker Recipes)

Sambar rice made in rice cooker is an easy one-pot weeknight dinner for us on many days of the month. I posted a poll on the sidebar a few months back asking if you had a rice cooker or not. More than 70% came back with a yes. Well, I have one too and I hardly ever make anything in it apart from rice, which is inexcusable because there's so much more you can do with a rice cooker.

If you like easy rice recipes, some of my favourite recommendations are - South Indian lemon rice, paneer and peas pulao, and this easy vegetable pulao made in a rice cooker too. 

So I am starting a mini-series in here featuring rice cooker recipes. If you have a favourite, please leave a comment, I'd love to try it.

My rice cooker is a Zojirushi 5.5 cup induction cooker which I bought from Tokyo. Frustratingly, it was more expensive than Amazon and in-store in Singapore but I like to believe it's worth it. It does cook rice perfectly each time and by perfectly, I mean it's fluffy and soft and unlike any other rice I've cooked using any other method. Anyway, more on that in a review soon.

Sambar Rice (Sambar Sadam) in a Rice Cooker

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 cup of rice
3/4 cup of toor dal, soaked for 30 mins in warm water
1 carrot, sliced
10 green beans, sliced
12 shallots (or 1 large onion)
2 tbsp of sambar powder
2 tbsp of oil
1/2 tsp of cumin / jeera
1/4 tsp of mustard seeds
1/4 tsp of hing powder (asafoetida)
1 stalk of curry leaves
Salt to taste
1 lemon-sized ball of tamarind
1 + 2.5 cups of water
A small bunch of chopped coriander leaves, for garnishing

Instructions:

0. Soak the tamarind in the 1 cup water for 10 mins. Extract juice and discard pulp.

1. Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds and cumin. When the mustard seeds pop and the cumin seeds turn a golden brown, add the hing. Fry for 5 seconds.

2. Add the shallots immediately after and fry for 2 mins.

3. Add the vegetables .Stir to combine well and let it cook for 5 mins until they begin to soften.

4. Top up with the sambar powder and curry leaves.

5. Mix well and let it cook for another 5 mins, stirring once or twice in between. Turn off flame.

6. Wash and rinse the rice and add to the rice cooker bowl...

... followed by the soaked toor dal

... and the cooked vegetables, water, tamarind extract, and salt

7. Mix well and cook per your rice cooker instructions. Mine is an induction cooker so it takes longer to cook the rice than regular rice cookers.

Voila! Rice cooker sambar sadam is ready.

Garnish, mix, and serve hot with curd, chips, and pickle.

Notes:

- You can add vegetables of your choice or none, if that's what you prefer. I like to make it a balanced one-pot meal so I add whatever vegetables I have in hand. The shallots or onions are a must-add though

- Soaking the toor dal helps make it mushier in the rice cooker. Mine doesn't cook dals to a mush so I have to help it along. If you want super mushy sambar rice, add more water and soak the dal longer, or cook in pressure cooker before adding to the rice cooker. That would make the process much longer though, obviously

- You can do the initial sauteeing in the rice cooker bowl itself, once it's heated up. I haven't tried this since mine is an induction cooker and takes a while to heat up. Let me know if you try it this way in yours

- Adding salt to the uncooked rice and dal may make it tougher to cook to a mush. Try adding salt after the dish is done. I will try this next time and see if it makes a difference