Cauliflower Biryani | Gobi Dum Biryani
Enjoy this delicious, vegetarian, cauliflower/gobi dum biryani with some boondi raita. It packed with flavors and aromas from the coriander-mint paste, tomato-yogurt-spice mixture.
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
Measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
- 1 head of cauliflower (about 350 grams), approx 3& 1/2 cups cauliflower florets)
Marinade for the cauliflower florets
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 2 ground green chillies
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tbsp Greek yogurt/ hung curd
- Salt, to taste
For the masala
- 3 onions, finely chopped, about 1 & 1/2 cups
- 2 tomatoes, puréed, about 1 cup purée
- A handful of mint and another handful of coriander leaves ground together
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- Salt, to taste
- 1/2 to 1 tsp garam masala
- A pinch of green cardamom
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder, or as per desired heat
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 3 tbsp oil/ghee
- 1/2 cup yogurt/curd, whisked until smooth
For the rice
- 1 & 1/2 cups Basmati rice, soaked in water for 30 minutes
- Whole spices (1 bay leaf, 1-inch cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 1 mace, 2 green cardamoms, 1 star anise)
- Salt, to taste
- 4 1/2 cups of water
Other ingredients
- All purpose flour (maida,), as required to coat the marinated cauliflower florets, for deep frying
- 1/2 lime/lemon, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup biritsa, crispy golden fried onions
- 8-10 saffron strands soaked in 1/4 cup warm milk
- 1 tbsp ghee
- Finely chopped coriander leaves
Instructions
For the cauliflower marination
- Bring water to boil in a large pot, add salt and the cauliflower florets. Blanch the florets for about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander. Pat dry with a clean kitchen napkin.
- In another bowl, add all the ingredients listed under-for the marinade. Mix well and add the cauliflower florets. Mix gently and set aside for 30 minutes.
- Coat the marinated florets with some flour or flour slurry and deep fry it. (I skipped this step, used some oil spray on marinated cauliflower florets and air fried at 350 F for 20 minutes). If you choose to air-fry or bake in the oven, after placing them in the air-fryer/oven to bake, start with the masala for the biryani. By the time the florets have baked, the masala for the biryani will be ready too.
For the masala
- Add the oil/ghee in a kadai/wok and stir fry the onions till golden brown.
- Now add the ginger garlic paste and sauté until aromatic.
- Add the puréed tomatoes, chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder. Fry till the tomatoes are well cooked and oil starts separating.
- Lower the heat, add yogurt/curd followed by the mint and coriander paste.
- Mix well, cover and cook on medium-low heat another 2-3 minutes or until oil separates.
- Add garam masala and cardamom powder and 1/2 cup water.
- Cook another 2-3 minutes on medium heat, until the masala thickens.
- Switch off the heat and add the fried florets. Keep aside.
- For the rice
- Add the water and all the masala and salt to a vessel and bring to boil. Now add the rice and cook until it is 70% done.
- Remove the rice off the heat when it is 70% cooked, drain in a colander and set aside. You can discard the spices or make a bouquet garni of spices (add the spices in a muslin cloth, tie a knot, add to the water and bring to a boil, this is easier to discard once the rice has cooked, than fishing out individual spices).
For the dum
- Layer the rice followed by the masala followed by another layer of rice.
- Now add the birista, ghee, cilantro and pour the saffron milk through the sides.
- Stovetop method: Cover the pot with a muslin cloth or aluminum foil, cover it with the lid ( Since I used a dutch pot the lid was heavy enough, you can place some weight if your lid is not heavy), Place the pot on a tava/iron skillet, cook on medium low heat for 20 minutes.
- Oven method: Preheat the oven to 425 F/ 220 degree C for 10 min. Tightly seal with rolled out chapati dough. Ensure there are no gaps.
- Now bake for 20 min at 200 degree Celsius. Make sure the rice is well cooked. Timings may change with respect to the oven.
Notes
1.Recipe updated with new pics and the following changes-
- I ran out of mint leaves, so used 2 tsp of dried mint powder.
- Replaced oil with ghee for more flavor.
- Skipped deep frying the marinated cauliflower florets and air-fried at 350F for 20 minutes. If you choose to air-fry, keep a tab after 10 minutes since the baking time will vary depending on the size of the florets.