Reviewed: Jul. 29, 2008

Very good recipe. After reading reviews I made the following changes: did not soak rice did not add cloves because it was not in my spice drawer: did not add chili powder Used mixed frozen vegetables. served with sour cream and mango chutney which added a necessary spiciness that would probably have been there if I'd had chili powder.

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Elisabeth

Home Town: Salisbury, Maryland, USA

Living In: Albany, New York, USA

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Reviewed: Apr. 22, 2008

This was a really good biryani but I would make two suggestions for making it better...1. Don't soak the rice for that long if at all or it will be on the mushy side. 2. Cut back on the clove, it had too much clove flavor as clove is in the garam masala...the clove was over powering.

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Salafi_Sister

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Iron River, Michigan, USA

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Reviewed: Feb. 23, 2008

This was a pretty good recipe, first time I made veggie biryani that didn't come out all mushy! I used fresh veggies for the most part in this as I did not have frozen mixed vegetables. I used one small potato, 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 a zucchini, 1/2 jalapeño pepper, 1 1/2 handfuls of baby carrots (chopped). I used 1/2 a cup of frozen peas and a handful of frozen corn. After the onions cooked I added in the potatoes cooked them for a few mins, added in the carrots and jalapeno cooked that for a few mins, added in the rice cooked that. Then added in the water, rest of the veggies and the spices and about a tablespoon of raisins. It tasted very good when finished, I ate it with a baby spinach salad (that had red onions and grape tomatoes in it) that had the "creamy cucumber dressing" from this site. I usually like a yogurt/raita with my Indian rice dishes, the dressing did double duty in that respect. The meal was enjoyable and easy to make!

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veggiegreengirl

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Sep. 18, 2007

It is pretty good. I put in fresh vegetables of mushroom, french beans, califlower and carrots and cut the garam masala to a teaspoon. Water was also cut to 2/14 cups and I put all in the rice cooker for the 2nd step...fuss-free.

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gerrylee

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Jan. 9, 2007

This was a great recipe. Very easy to cook and a great compliment to the spicy foods associated with Indian cooking. I served it with Spicy Chicken Curry, Naan, Cilantro Chutney, and Spicy Indian Dahl. It made a great meal for guests who enjoy Indian food.

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eayers

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Eureka, California, USA

Living In: Santa Barbara, California, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 27, 2006

This turned out horribly. I followed the directions word for word. Here's my thoughts on where it went wrong: 1) Too much garam masala. This has to be some horrible mistype on amount. 2 Tbsp is just entirely too much. 2) Soaking the rice for 30 minutes is too long. This causes the rice to be too brittle. It should be soaked for around 10 mins. 3) Simmering frozen vegetables for 20 minutes turns them into mush. 20 minutes would probably be fine for fresh. I'll shoot to find another recipe.

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Jason

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Quincy, Illinois, USA

Living In: Madison, Wisconsin, USA

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Reviewed: May 21, 2006

Added some golden raisins, toasted pine nuts, and topped with non-flavored yoghurt. A great meal and the plain yoghurt was a perfect compliment. Thanks for sharing!

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Brandy Svensson

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Aug. 12, 2005

Similar to popular rice salad served at Wild Oats. I, too, added fresh broccoli and beans. Used coconut, raisins, cashews and cilantro as garnish. The sweet is nice with the spicy.

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SEA1964

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Lima, Ohio, USA

Living In: Franklin, Tennessee, USA

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Reviewed: Jun. 24, 2005

This was my first attempt at making an Indian dish. I agree that the smells were wonderful! I followed the recipe all the way the end. I tasted it after the 20-25 minutes and it was hot/spicy but was missing something. I added about 2-3 Tablespoons of honey to balance the other flavors. It was great! Will try with fresh veggies next time.

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LILRED7

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Ithaca, New York, USA

Living In: Taito, Tokyo, Japan

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Reviewed: May 22, 2005

Way too spicy for me, but my husband loved it. I didn't put any chili powder and increased the vegetables to 1 1/2 cups. Also, I'm sure it will taste better with fresh vegetables. Overall, it was very good and smelled delicious while cooking.

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XVELVETX

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Paris, Île-De-France, France

Living In: Ames, Iowa, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 2, 2004

This is a fabulous recipe and I highly recommend it!! I follow the Weight Watchers program and it comes to just 4.5 pts per serving if you use a reduced-fat margerine instead of butter. The recipe is good even without the butter at all, too! I recommend using 2 c. of fresh veggies instead of just 1. I used chopped fresh broccoli, mushrooms, and shredded carrots. Cauliflower and peas would also be very tasty in this! Be careful with the cloves... I do not recommend using the entire 1/2 tsp. They are very strong and you also might not want to bite into them! Also - the recipe does not specify whether the 1 c. rice should be 1 c. cooked or not cooked... I used 1 c. uncooked and it yielded about 2-3 c. cooked. This was a perfect amount so I think that's what the recipe-poster meant. Also, I made mine in the microwave rather than the soaking and mine turned out excellent. For an extra 2 pts, vanilla or mango yogurt is an excellent, complimentary side-dish to this spicy dish. Enjoy!

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ARNAKNAGSAK

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Reviewed: May 20, 2004

One of the better veg. biryanis I have made. I never soak basmati as I find it makes it too mushy. I also added a cinnamon stick after the onions caramelized. I used fresh brocolli, carrots, portabella mushrooms and water chestnuts instead of frozen veggies.

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Cynthia Morrison

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Reviewed: Nov. 23, 2003

Very good stuff.But The prep time doesnt reflect that the rice has to soak for a half an hour. Plus do not use brown basmati rice, which was all I found. It will double the cook time. Still fantastic, makes the house smell lovely.

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