As per my little ones request, I made this simple yet tasty Chicken Biryani today! I had planned to make a veggie curry for dinner tonite but, had to change to please my little one’s tummy.My mommy brain was hard at work as i had to make sure my girls get their veggies too.

Bingo!! I steam cooked all the veggie and then pureed it into a fine paste and then sautéed it with little olive oil and added it to the biryani. This enhanced not only the taste but also the nutrition value of the biryani from mommy perspective.Im so pleased with how it all came together.

Ingredients

Chicken-1 lb [ marinate it with salt and a pinch of turmeric and let it sit for 30mins]

Quinoa-1 cup

Brown Basmati Rice-1 cup

Green Chilis-6 slit

Ginger Garlic Paste-1 table spoon

Mint Leaves-1/2 cup chopped

Cilantro-1/2 cup chopped

Red Onions-1 cup thinly sliced

Tomato-1/2 cup chopped

Whole Spices [2″ cinnamon+ 4 cloves+3 elachi+2 bay leaves]

Sauf-1/2 tsp

Shahi Jeera-1/2 tsp

Red Chili powder-1/2 tsp

Dhanya powder-1 tsp

Garam Masala powder-1/2 tsp

Turmeric Powder-1/4 tsp

Kauri Methi-1/2 tsp

Coconut Milk-1/2 cup

olive oil-3 table spoon

Ghee-1 table spoon

Salt-to taste

Lemon Juice-2 tsp

Hot water-3 cups

Steamed Veggis [spinch,curry leaves,cauliflower,cabbage,peas,green beans,zucchini,carrots and yellow squash-1/4 cup each]

Method

Wash and rinse both quinoa and basmati rice till the water runs clear then drain and keep aside.

Puree all the steamed veggies in the blender[make sure you add just a little water to the blender,we want a thick paste] and then saute it in a tea spoon of oil till the oil separates. and keep aside.

In a Kadai, heat 3 table spoons of olive oil and add the whole spices, sauf and shahi jeera and let it splutter. Now, add the chopped mint, cilantro, green chilis and ginger garlic paste and fry for 2 mins.

Add the onions and fry till they turn golden brown, then add tomatoes and fry till the oil separates. Now add all the powders and fry for 1 min and add the marinated chicken and fry for 6 mins.

Now its time to add hot water to it and let it come to a boil. This is the time to check and adjust the seasonings.

Add the rinsed rice and quinoa to the boiling water and let it combine well.now, add the coconut milk veggie mixture to it.Mix well and then cover the kadai with a kitchen towel and close the lid tightly. Make sure and see to that the steam does not escape. Cook on medium heat for exactly 12 mins and turn off the heat. Please don’t remove the lid,let it rest for 10 mins  and then open the lid and top the biryani with lemon juice and ghee.

Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve it with a side of your favorite raita or tzatziki.