Birinji Rice | Veg Brinji Sadam
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil or butter or ghee
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 cardamons
- 1-inch cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 2 thai green chillies
- 1 large red onion chopped
- 1½ cups
vegetables cut into fingers (Use a vegetable chopper if you are in a hurry) potato, carrot, beans, peas, capsicum
For The Spice Paste
- 2 tbsp dessicated/fresh coconut
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 thai or regular green chillies chopped
- 1-inch ginger chopped
- 5 garlic cloves chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro/corriander leaves chopped
- 20 mint leaves chopped
Instructions
- Soak the rice in 6 cups water for minimum 30 minutes. I generally soak them for 1-2 hours.
- Using a mixer grinder, grind the ingredients mentioned under the spice paste with little water. Set aside.
- Heat the oil/butter/ghee in a large dutch oven or pressure cooker. Throw in the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise and bay leaf. Sauté for 1-2 minutes.
- Then add the green chilies and saute for 30 seconds. Add the onions and sauté till lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
- Mix in the ground spice paste and fry for another 4 – 5 minutes on a low flame. Keep stirring to prevent the onion mixture from getting burned.
- Add the mixed chopped vegetables, beans and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water and cook covered for 15 minutes. Cook the veggies until 3/4th done.
- Pour 3 cups of coconut milk. Add salt to taste.
- Bring the liquid to a boil.
- Add the rice to the boiling coconut milk mixture, simmer the flame to the lowest flame/heat. Cover and cook on low flame for about 15 minutes.
- Switch off the flame and let it rest. Don’t open and meddle with the rice. After 15 minutes, using a fork fluff out the rice. Serve hot with onion raita and spicy chicken/shrimp or vegetarian kurma.
