Soya Biriyani

With Christmas around the corner, I am getting so busy with baking cookies and fruit cakes. Though I am not an "anything sweet" person, I love the smell of baking goodies. Oh my kitchen smell so Christmas-y!!! What better way to entertain myself when outside doesn't look , but feels so awful? Nope we are not yet blessed with snow :-(

Our strict vegan days are going on full swing , and last week i was just compiling a list of vegan dishes to make before Christmas. The list was so long , that i have 100's of vegetarian recipes to make :)...I never realised i was willing to eat this much vegan things. So i picked some 8-10 recipes that i really wanna make in the coming days and this Soy biriyani atop the list. I have been making mushroom fry and Soy dry fry since the first week of December, I badly needed a change. I didn't wanna spend too much time in the kitchen too. That's when i saw a bottle of Pathak curry paste in my pantry and that was a "deus ex machina" kin of thing. The result a festive one pot meal with vibrant yellow color !!

Recipe For Festive Soya Chunk Biriyani

Ingredients:-

For Soya masala 

Soya chunks - 1 cup

Onion finely chopped - 2 medium

Ginger garlic paste or crushed - 1 tsp

Yogurt - 1/4 cup

Pathak Curry Paste - 4 table spoon ( I used Madras curry paste)

Thin Coconut milk - 1 cup

Butter

Mint Leaves

For Rice

Basmati Rice - 1.5 cup

Bay Leaves - 2

Cardamom - 3

Cloves - 3

Cinnamon stick - 1 

Mace - 2

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Butter

Salt to taste

Soya masala and the Biriyani

Method:-

Soak Soya chunk in warm water for 4-5 hours. 

Squeeze the water out of it and pat dry with a kitchen towel.

Heat butter in a pan and add Chopped onion. Saute till it turns golden and add ginger and garlic.

Fry it for 2 minutes and add soy and combine well.

Add Pathak's curry paste and fry it for a minute.

Pour thin coconut milk and cook it covered till it is done.

Uncover it and add yogurt and saute till it is dry.

Meanwhile, Soak basmati rice in water for 25 minutes and drain

Heat butter in a heavy bottomed cooking vessel( i always use dutch oven) and add whole spices.

Fry it for a minute or 2. Add Turmeric powder and basmati rice and combine well

Fry the rice for 2-3 minutes and add the soya masala. Saute it well for another 2-3 minutes

Pour 3 cups of hot water and salt to taste

Cook it covered for 12-15 minutes or till it is done.

Switch off the heat and let it stand for 10 minutes.'Fluff it with a fork and serve warm with onion raita

and chutney

Cheers
Sarah