Kadala/Chickpea Biryani

I just realized pretty much all my recent posts have been something sweet. Tsk Tsk! Naughty me J

And so today’s recipe is a healthy, absolutely yummy one pot meal, that you can quickly whip up and serve warm with a side dish of raita or just plain yogurt. The first time my mom made this for us I was very skeptical because as far as I was concerned biryani must have meat in it. Full Stop. No more discussion. But I've had to eat my words. I didn't know a vegetarian biryani could be just as tasty as a good chicken biryani. The highlight has to be that this is a one pot meal which means less dishes to clean up after J Well, that’s a big plus for me anyway!

And not to mention it so full of protein because of the chickpeas and is quite filling.  It’s a great alternative to the usual rice and thoran (vege side dish for rice).

Kids too will like this dish. Notice I didn't use the word ‘love’ here J I think ‘love’ would be too strong a word. It is still a vegetarian dish after all! J Issac, my fussy eater, crinkled his nose and made clear he did not really approve of it but he still finished everything on his plate, so you be the judge. It might be hard to get the kids to try it, but I think once they've had a taste, they’ll like it for sure! Though I think Issac would rather drop dead than admit he actually liked a rice and chickpea based dish his Amma made for him. Hehehehe JJJ

Apologies for the not-so-great photo!

Kadala/Chickpeas Biryani

Recipe Adapted from Magic Oven, Lakshmi Nair

Ingredients

Basmatic Rice – 2 cups

Chickpeas soaked overnight – 1 cup

Cinnamon stick – ½ inch

Cloves - 3

Star anise -1 or 2

Bay leaves

Cardamom – 2

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Kashmiri Chili Powder – 1 tsp or as per your spice level requirement

Coriander leaves – 1 handful

Mint leaves – 1 handful

Tomato – 1 medium

Sliced Onion – 1 large

Green Chili – 2 (optional)

Ghee – 2 tbsp

Water – 3 cups

 Method:

1. Wash and soak the rice for 15 mins and drain it.

2. Make the coriander leaves and mint leaves into a paste with little bit of water. Keep aside. This step is entirely optional though, you can even just finely chop the leaves as add as is.

3. Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker and add the whole masalas (cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cardamom & bay leaves) and sauté until nice aroma comes out.

4. Add the onions, green chilies, salt and sauté until they turn translucent.

5. Add the tomatoes and sauté until they turn mushy.

6. Next add red chili powder, and turmeric powder and sauté well. 

7. Then add the coriander leaves and the mint leaves paste and mix well.

8. Add the washed and drained basmati rice and stir gently for about 3 minutes.

9. Now add the chickpeas and the 3 cups of water and close the pressure cooker and let it cook on a medium flame. Once you've heard 2 whistles, switch off the heat and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

10. Once you open the cooker, fluff the rice with a fork rather than a spoon so that the rice does not stick together or break as you stir. Serve hot with some yogurt/cucumber raita.

Notes:

• You can even add some chicken masala at Step 5 if you wish.

• Another taste enhancer would be to substitute the plain water for chicken stock.