Kanchan Rawat
- Apr 19, 2021
- 5 min read

Vegan Biryani

Updated: Oct 9, 2022

Biryani is one of the most famous dishes in India and today we are preparing Vegan Biryani. This aromatic & delicious recipe is prepared with Indian spices, rice & vegetables. Biryani is a celebration of exotic flavors, vibrant colors, and pleasing aromas infused in a pot of goodness. Preparing a good biryani, especially the traditional one requires time and patience since it involves a series of steps. But the end result is worth the time and effort.

So let’s get started.

Ingredients for the Vegan Biryani

For the Rice

Biryani Rice - 300 Grams

Bay Leaf - 1

Star Anise - 1

Cinnamon Stick - 1 Small

Cloves - 2

Black Peppercorn - 5

Cardamoms - 2

Ingredients for Marinade

Vegan Curd or yogurt - 200 ml

Turmeric Powder - 1/3rd Teaspoon

Red Chili Powder - Half Teaspoon

Curry Powder - 1 Teaspoon

Black Pepper Powder - Half teaspoon

Salt - Half Teaspoon

Marinating Tofu

Tofu - 300 Grams

Marinade - 3-4 Tablespoons

Marinating rest of the vegetables

Remaining Marinade

Mushrooms - 250 Grams

Carrot - 1 Medium

Bell Pepper - 1 Small

Frozen Green peas - 50 Grams

Potato - 1 Medium

Fried Onion

2 Medium onions

Saffron Water

Hot Water - 50 ml approx

Saffron threads - 8-10

Cooking Biryani

Oil - 3-4 Tablespoons

Bay Leaf - 1

Star Anise - 1

Cinnamon Stick - 1 Small

Cloves - 2

Black Peppercorn - 8-10

Cardamoms - 2

Cumin Seeds - 1 Teaspoon

Onion - 1 Large

Garlic - 4-5 Cloves

Ginger - 1 Inch

Chili - 1

Curry Powder - 1 Teaspoon

Turmeric Powder - 1/3rd Teaspoon

Red Chili Powder - Half Teaspoon

Marinated Vegetables

Tomato Puree - 200 ml

Marinated Tofu

Salt - 1 teaspoon

Assembling Biryani

Half of the curry

Half layer of rice

1/3rd Fried Onion

Mix of Mint and Coriander Leaves

Curry Powder - Half teaspoon

Salt - Half Teaspoon

Saffron Water

Remaining Curry

Remaining Rice

Fried onion

Mint and Coriander leaves

Curry Powder - Half Teaspoon

Salt - 1/3rd teaspoon

Saffron water

Step 1

We will start with soaking the rice, I am using Basmati rice, and the main reason is that the grains are long and it absorbs the spices and gives this amazing flavor to the biryani. Make sure to wash the rice thoroughly and soak it for at least 30 minutes.

I like to add the spices while soaking itself, starting with a bay leaf, star anise, Cinnamon, 2 Cloves, 5 black pepper and 2 cardamoms.

Soak the rice for a minimum of 30 mins and then cook it till it’s 90% done.

Make sure you let the spices be inside the bowl while cooking the rice as well.

Once the rice is done drain out the excess water and spread it on a flatter surface.

Step 2

Now it’s time to marinate the vegetables

I have taken these vegetables, you can always choose your fav ones to prepare this recipe

You can use plain yogurt or curd, I have taken around 200 ml, then add the spices, 1/3rd teaspoons of turmeric powder, half teaspoon of red chili powder, 1 teaspoon of curry powder, half teaspoon of black pepper powder, half teaspoon of salt. Mix everything

Now we are dividing the marinade as we will mix the tofu separately since we don’t want it to break. So take out around 3-4 tablespoons of marinade in another bowl. Add the tofu and mix till the tofu is entirely covered. Be gentle with the tofu

Then add the rest of the vegetables to the remaining marinade mix. We have 250 grams of mushrooms, 1 medium carrots roughly chopped, 1 small bell pepper, 50 grams of frozen green peas, 1 medium potato roughly chopped, give it a mix. We are going to marinate them for 20-30 minutes.

Step 3

Fried Caramelized Onion - This is really important for the biryani as it adds that extra flavor and it is always present in authentic biryanis. I have sliced around 2 medium onions.

Usually it is deep fried but I am going to air fry them over 200 C for 30 minutes.

The onion is fried and looks and smells amazing.

Step 4

Saffron Water

This one is really easy, take hot water and add the saffron threads to it, I went a little overboard as they just slipped as a bunch. You can probably add like 8-10 threads. Give it a light mix, look at the color that is already changing.

Step 5

Time to cook the vegetables

To a big pan, add 3-4 tablespoons of oil. Now add a bay leaf, star anise, cardamom, cinnamon, black peppercorns around 8-10. Let the spices cook over low heat for 2-3 mins, the essence of the spices will infuse with the oil. Now it’s time to remove the spices from the bowl, it’s better to remove them as they can spoil the whole experience if you accidentally eat them while eating the biryani.

Now add the 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, once the seeds start to crackle, add 1 large finely chopped onion. We are going to cook the onion till it’s nice and golden brown. Then add 4-5 cloves of garlic and 1 inch of grated ginger to the pan. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes. Make sure that you stir fry them as the garlic tends to stick to the pan and gets burnt easily.

Add 1 sliced chili, followed by 1 teaspoon of curry powder, 1/3rd teaspoon of turmeric powder, half teaspoon of red chili powder, mix everything and cook over low heat for 2 minutes.

Add the marinated vegetables to the bowl, remember we are not adding the tofu at this point. Mix all the vegetables with the spices.

Then add around 200 ml of tomato puree to the bowl or You can add 1 large tomato finely chopped. Add some water so the vegetables are slightly submerged. Now cover the lid and cook till they are perfectly done. It took around 12-15 minutes over medium heat. Check the potato if you feel it’s not entirely cooked, cover and cook for a few more minutes. Once the vegetables are cooked, add the marinated tofu, followed by 1 teaspoon of salt. Give it a slight mix again and be gentle with the tofu. Now transfer half of the curry to another bowl. Make sure that the heat is set to low

Now add half of the rice as a layer on top of the curry. Then add some fried onion, 1/3rd of the total fried onion. A mix of mint and coriander leaves roughly chopped. Curry powder, half teaspoon, you can also use biryani powder if you have it. Half teaspoon of salt. Some saffron water. Now we are going to repeat the same steps again, add the remaining curry on top like a layer. Add the remaining rice, fried onion, mint and coriander leaves, half teaspoon of curry powder, 1/3rd teaspoon of salt, and finally the saffron water. Cover it and cook for 5-7 mins over low heat. Then switch off the heat and let it rest for 15 more minutes. I know it’s hard but it will be worth it. After that remove the lid and I wish I could share the aroma of this biryani with you. It smells incredible here. Biryani is such a play of flavors infused together. Now remember not to mix everything, we take it out as a layer and serve.