Dum biriyani

I am getting into this mode of making an elaborate lunch during the weekend.
Here is the menu planned for this weekend:
dum biriyani
mirchi ka salan
basic dal tadka
curd rice
mango cheesecake

Dum biriyani recipe from Veg Recipes of India Dassana.  I have tried her eggless orange cake previously with good results, so I hope this one will be good as well.
Ingredients 

The Rice:

• 1 and half cup basmati rice
• 2 green cardamoms/hari elaichi or choti elaichi
• 2 black cardamoms/badi elaichi
• 2 cloves/laung/lavang
• 1 cinnamon/dal chini of 1 inch
• 1 bay leaf/tej patta
• 2 mace strands/javitri
• 3 cups water
• salt

The Vegetable Gravy:

• 1 capsicum
• 1 medium sized carrot/gajar, diced
• 1 medium sized potato/a;pp, cubed
• 1 cup of chopped french beans
• ½ cup frozen/fresh peas/matar
• 1 and half onion/pyaaz, finely sliced
• 1 green chili, slit
• 2 tbsp ginger/adrak, julienned
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic/lahsun
• 1 tsp caraway seeds/shah jeera
• 2 green cardamom/hari elaichi or choti elaichi
• 2 black cardamoms/badi elaichi
• 2 cloves/laung/lavang
• 1 cinnamon/dal chini of 1 inch
• 1 bay leaf/tej patta
• 2 mace strands/javitri
• 100 gms whisked yogurt/curd/dahi
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder/haldi
• ½ tsp red chili powder/cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp cashewnuts
• 1 tbsp sultanas/raisins
• 2 tbsp almonds/badam, blanched, peeled and sliced
• 3 tbsp ghee
• salt

Herbs and Spices for the assembling:

• ½ cup chopped coriander/cilantro leaves/dhania patta
• ½ cup mint leaves/pudina patta
• 100 gms whisked yogurt/curd/dahi
• a few saffron/kesar, strands
• 1 tbsp milk

Soak the rice in water for 15 minutes

Cut the vegetables and microwave them till almost done

Drain the rice

In a pan, saute some ghee and add the spices as below 

• 2 green cardamoms/hari elaichi or choti elaichi
• 2 black cardamoms/badi elaichi
• 2 cloves/laung/lavang
• 1 cinnamon/dal chini of 1 inch
• 1 bay leaf/tej patta
• 2 mace strands/javitri

Add the rice and saute for a minute, quickly add 3 cups of water and salt to taste 

Cook the rice until almost done

Meanwhile, add ghee to a pan and saute the spices

• 1 tsp caraway seeds/shah jeera
• 2 green cardamom/hari elaichi or choti elaichi
• 2 black cardamoms/badi elaichi
• 2 cloves/laung/lavang
• 1 cinnamon/dal chini of 1 inch
• 1 bay leaf/tej patta
• 2 mace strands/javitri

Add half the onions and fry till soft

Add the green chilli, ginger and garlic. Fry for a minute. 

Add the turmeric and red chili powder. Give the mixture a stir.

Now add the vegetables and stir for a minute. Add the curd/yoghurt.

Add the rice with about as much water (3/4 cup) as you think the whole mix needs to get fully cooked but not mushed

Add the dry fruits, cashews, badam and raisins to the vegetable gravy

Add the saffron milk mixture to remaining curd 

Now layer in a different pan - 2 pyrex - bring down quantities based on this pan

2/3 of cooked rice

all of the curry (saffron milk + curd + 1/2 the coriander + mint mixture)

all of the vegetable curry 

all of the paneer

1 /3 of cooked rice 

caramelized onions

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 for 40 minutes

Serve the yummy veg biryani with your choice of raita, onion-mint salad-kuchumber, mango pickle, roasted papad.

Other accompaniments for this Hyderabad Veg Biryani would be Mirchon ka Salan…. the way the Biryani is traditionally served in Hyderabad.