Vegetarian Kashmiri Biryani

Ingredients :


Basmati Rice - 600 gms
Potatoes - 100 gms ( chopped into small cubes )
Peas - 100 gms
French Beans - 100 gms ( cut into 1 inch pieces )
Cauliflower - 100 gms ( chopped )
Carrot - 100 gms ( chopped into small cubes + little grated finely for garnish )
Tomato - 1 small ( pureed )
Onion - 2 small ( chopped )
Green chilly - 1 ( Optional )
Cinnamon , Cardamom , Cloves - 2 each 
Bay leaf - 1
Almonds - 25 gms
Cashewnuts - 25 gms
Saffron ( Kesar ) - 10 gms ( dissolved in 1/4 cup milk )
Ginger - Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp
Red chilly Powder - 2 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Salt - To taste
Curd - 2 tsp
Butter - As required
Coriander leaves - little ( Finely chopped for garnish )


Method :


Wash and cook rice. Keep aside
Cook the chopped vegetables till they become sufficiently soft. Keep aside.
Fry almonds and cashewnuts till light browned.
In a bowl , mix curd , ginger-garlic paste , garam masala powder , turmeric powder , red chilly powder and salt.
In a handi , fry onions till golden browned. Add curd mixture and fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add cinnamom , cardamom , cloves , bay leaf , almonds , cashewnuts and 2 tsp of tomato puree. Fry for 4 to 5 minutes on medium flame. Add peas and mix evenly for a while. Add the cooked vegetables and a little water. Cook on low flame till the gravy is thick enough.
Remove a little gravy with some veggies from the handi to a bowl. Keep aside.
Then add 2/3 of rice to the handi which has little gravy with veggies. Spread the rice evenly as a layer. Evenly sprinkle few drops of saffron milk. Again add the removed gravy with veggies from bowl to handi. Spread evenly as a layer. Add the remaining rice to handi. Spread evenly as a layer. Sprinkle the remaining saffron milk evenly. Garnish with coriander leaves and a little grated carrot.  Finally cook by covering the handi tightly for 5 to 6 minutes so that aroma spreads evenly.
Serve hot with raita.