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There are 1008 procedures to cook biryani and I have tried at least a 1000 of them! No, not really..LOL..that's just a saying. In Tamil, we always use a phrase called 'Aayirathu Ettu' (1008) to stress that the number is huge. Coming to biryani varieties and procedures, yes, there are many such as hyderabadi dum biryani, chettinad dum biryani, Ambur biryani etc. The basic ingredients in the above biryanis would be the same while the cooking procedures differ.

Let's call today's biryani as a 'Simple' or 'Countryside' or 'Instant' biryani. It can be done in under 30 minutes, without dum and it tastes similar to our 'roadside' hotel biryani.

Basmati Rice - 1 Cup (soak the rice in 1 and 1/2 cup water for 15-20 minutes)
Vegetables (Beans, Carrot, Peas) - 2 cups, cubed
Soy Chunks - 1/2 cup (soaked in water)
Peanut Oil (Kadalennai) - 5 spoons
Onion (Vengayam) - 1
Tomato (Thakkali) - 1
Ginger & Garlic Paste (Inji Poondu Vizhudhu) - 2 teaspoons
Coriander leaves
Mint leaves - 5/6
Salt
Red Food Color - A pinch
Cardamom - 2
Curd - 3/4 cup
Salt

Biriyani Masala
Marathi Mokku (Maratti Mokku, Miratti Mokku, Maretti Moggu) - 3
Kalpasi - 3
Cinnamon (Pattai) - 1/2 inch
Cloves (Krambu, Lavanga, Graambu) - 2
Green Chillies - 3
Annasipoo (Annasi Poo) - 3

Seasoning
Bay leaf (Biriyani Leaf, Brinji Leaf) - 1
Cinnamon (Pattai) - 1/2 inch
Cloves (Krambu, Lavanga, Graambu) - 2
Saunf (Sombu) - 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin Seeds (Seeragam, Jeera, Jeerakam) - 1/2 teaspoon


1. Grind the 'Biriyani Masala' ingredients and keep aside.
2. Heat peanut oil in a large vessel. Add the seasoning ingredients when the oil is hot.
3. Add finely chopped onions, coriander leaves, mint leaves and saute for a few minutes.
4. When the onions are half cooked, add ginger-garlic paste and fry till the raw smell vanishes.
5. Add finely chopped tomato (this is optiona)l. Add the ground 'Biriyani Masala' content to this and saute.
6. Add vegetables of your choice, soy chunks and saute for a few seconds. Add curd, soaked basmati rice (along with the water), food color, salt.
7. Mix the content, check for salt and allow the contents to cook on a Medium-high heat.
8. When water bubbles, reduce the flame to low and allow it to cook for another 15 minutes or until the water evaporates.
Done!
Serve with Onion Raita / Boiled Egg (Avicha Muttai) / Chicken Kurma