Method

• Start by soaking the saffron strands in hot coconut milk for 10 - 15 minutes.
• While the saffron is soaking, toast the crushed cashews in a skillet with no oil. Stir continuously to prevent burning. Toast for about 4 - 5 minutes on medium heat. Put aside until assembly.
• If you are using caramelized onions, now is the time to make them. Or they can be made a few days ahead of time if you don’t have time to do it all on the same day. They will stay good in the fridge for up to a week.
• Then sauté the onions, garlic, ginger, bay leaf, star anise seed, and green chillis in water or vegetable broth. You really want to get the onions as brown as possible and this may mean adding 1 tbsp of vegetable broth at a time to prevent sticking. This process takes approximately 7 - 8 minutes.
• Add ginger and garlic paste, along with 2 tbsp of water or vegetable broth, and continue to cook.
• Add all the cut vegetables, 1 cup cilantro, and ¼ cup mint, and continue to sauté for another 4 - 5 minutes. Do add another 1 - 2 tbsp of water or vegetable broth to prevent sticking.
• Add the tomatoes, chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, ground black pepper and continue to sauté until the vegetables are thoroughly cooked. Keep adding vegetable broth or water to prevent sticking.
• Add the coconut yogurt to the vegetable mixture and the garam masala, green cardamom pods, black cardamom, cloves and cinnamon stick. Cook until you can no longer see the yogurt.
• Your biryani masala is ready!
• Assemble your biryani.

Assembly

Ingredients

• Dried apricots
• Raisins
• Roasted cashews
• Fresh mint
• Fresh Cilantro
• Caramelized onions

Method

• Assembly of biryani is an art in an of itself. If you are going to put the biryani on “dhum” then I suggest layering in large pot. If you are not going to cook on ‘dhum’ then you can layer the biryani directly onto the serving platter.
• Layer the rice on the bottom of the pan. I usually do 3 - 4 layers.
• On top of the rice, I add a layer of biryani masala, caramelized onions, cashews, raisins, apricots, cilantro and mint. 
• Then I add another layer of rice and continue the process until I am done with the rice and biryani masala. I always save some of the cilantro, mint and cashews for garnishing the top of the biryani.
• Pour the saffron-infused milk over the biryani. And ‘gently’ fold - not a thorough mixing by any means! This will allow the color and aroma of the biryani to be infused with saffron, which adds the final touch to the recipe.
• You follow the same assembly instructions whether you are using millet or cauliflower rice.
• Once the biryani is layered in the pot, place a kitchen towel over the biryani and place the lid tightly on top to not let any of the steam escape.
• Place this pot on a hot griddle for about 20 - 24 minutes on low heat. If you do not have a griddle, then use a pancake griddle or flat sauté pan and place the biryani pot on top of that. It allows a more even distribution of heat, without burning the food on the bottom of the pot. This is how you cook on ‘dhum’.
• Once the biryani is done cooking on dhum then transfer to a serving platter. It is an impressive-looking dish that will be the center of any celebration or special occasion.
• Garnish with extra cilantro, mint and a drizzle of lemon juice to finish!