Tomato Biryani is a delicious one-pot Indian rice recipe. It is a variation of Mixed Veg Biryani. The major difference between normal veg biryani and Tomato Biryani are, in Tomato Biryani I use fennel seeds, green chili, Homemade Garam Masala, and Bangalore tomato/Roma Tomato. Also, in Tomato Biryani I don’t use curd and lime juice because the quantity of tomato used for Tomato biryani is double the quantity of veg Biryani so, the tomatoes give enough tartness that is required for the Biryani.
Check out the Veg biryani recipe here. In my opinion, the homemade Garam Masala is what elevates the flavor of Tomato Biryani. Do check the recipe for Homemade Garam Masala here. My Humble request is, Please try the tomato biryani recipe with my homemade Garam masala.
I Usually serve this tomato biryani with Cucumber and carrot raita and, boiled egg. I have a recipe for thick cucumber raita. Please check the biryani Side dish recipes here.
You may also interested other rice varieties(Mexican style rice,Thakkali sadam recipe, Peanut rice,egg rice,Tomato biryani,Egg and carrot rice). Perfect side dishes for the variety rice are pachadi(beetroot pachadi,vendaikka Pachadi,Vallai Thandu pachadi, Thakkali Thokku(Tomato pickle), cucumber raita).
Check out my Favorite products here
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of Basmati rice
- 400 grams of a red onion thinly sliced
- 350 grams of Bangalore Tomato(Roma Tomato) – chopped into medium size pieces
- 120 grams of oil
- 30 grams of ghee(2 tbsp)
- 4 Whole green chili(medium size)
- 1 – a handful of chopped coriander leaves
- Two handfuls of chopped mint
- 1 cup of chopped potato with skin
- 1/2 cup of cooked green peas
- 2 to 2.5 tsp of salt
- 3/4 tsp of red chili powder
- 1/2 tsp of homemade Garam Masala
- 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp of Ginger Paste
- 2 tbsp of garlic paste
Whole spices:
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cinnamon stick(2 cm each)
- 5 cloves
- 5 cardamom
- 1/2 tsp of fennel seeds
Procedure
Step 1:
1. Wash the Basmati rice twice under the running water and soak the rice in the water for 45 minutes.
Step 2:
1. Fill a medium-size pot(3 liters) with water and bring the water to boil(This water is for half cook the rice and to use throughout the cooking process whenever warm water is required).
Step 3: Biryani Gravy
1. In a pot(5 liters) heat some oil and ghee.
2. When the oil is hot, add the green chilies and all the whole spices. Fry the spices and green chili until chili turns pale green.
3. Add in the sliced onion, fry the onion until soft and golden.
4. Saute the ginger and garlic paste until the raw smell goes away followed by coriander and mint leaves. If the ginger and garlic paste burns quickly, add little warm water.
5. Add in the tomatoes with a tsp of salt and saute until tomatoes are mushy and oil separates.
6. Drop in the tomato, cooked green peas and saute for 2 minutes. Season the Biryani masala with chili powder, mix everything for a minute.
7. Pour 2 cups of hot water(use the water kept to cook rice) to the Biryani masala, add a tsp of salt, mix well and, cover the pot. Allow the potatoes to cook until tender, about 5 minutes or so. In between open the pot, give a quick mix to avoid scorching at the bottom.
8. once the potatoes are well cooked, reduce the heat to low.
Step 4: Half cook the Biryani rice
At this time, water that kept to cook rice would have come to boil. Add some salt to the water(the water should be mildly salty).
9. Drain the water from soaked rice. Then, Add the drained rice to the boiling water, give a mix and again, bring the water to boil. From the minute the water started to boil, keep checking the rice. Once the rice looks translucent on the corners, turn off the stove then, drain the rice. While draining the rice, collect a cup of water(rice cooked mildly salty water) and keep it aside.
10. Add the half cooked rice to the biryani masala and half a cup of the reserved salty water(rice cooked water). Then, Increase the heat to medium-high and, Gently combine the rice with Biryani Gravy. Cover the pot with aluminum foil, put on the lid and then, Place a heavy object on top of the lid. Reduce the heat to medium-low then, allow the rice to cook completely for about 30 to 45 minutes.
11.While mixing the rice, if you think the water content is low then add another half cup of rice cooked water.
Note:
You may need 1/2 to 1 cup of rice cooked water. It depends on the consistency of the half cooked rice. For detailed information watch the video.
