A delicious easy vegetable one-pot biryani, warm up those cool evenings with this aromatic and satisfying family favourite dish.
There is something comforting about eating a bowl of warmly spiced rice and this easy vegetable one-pot biryani is a real family favourite. Cooking everything all in one pot too makes things much easier and means less washing up. This recipe uses a number of store cupboard ingredients, a few delicious spices and a selection of vegetables from the fridge. Our easy vegetable biryani is budget-friendly, is full of glorious flavour and is simple to prepare.
Can I use other vegetables?
Most definitely yes. This biryani is such a flexible recipe and would work well with any variety of vegetables that you have in your fridge. In this recipe, we’ve used potatoes, carrots, pepper and green beans. Why not try a festive version with potatoes and leftover roasted parsnips and Brussel sprouts, make it seasonal with cauliflower and broccoli florets or green pepper instead of green beans. Just make sure you cut the vegetables into equal pieces so that they cook evenly.
Which rice should I use?
We use brown basmati rice for a slightly nuttier taste and being whole grain it is higher in dietary fibre. As white basmati rice cooks more quickly than brown rice simply reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes.
Top tips for preparing and cooking the easy vegetable one-pot biryani
Soaking the rice – we find that soaking the rice, while you prepare the other ingredients (for at least 10 minutes) helps speed up the cooking time, and means it absorbs the water better and you have fluffier rice at the end of cooking.
Vegetable prep – we are a little bit more precise with cutting the vegetables for this dish to allow even cooking but don’t get your ruler out.
Curry paste – we use a shop-bought vegan curry paste for ease and convenience, check the ingredients on the back of the jar. If you are in the UK we used Patak’s Balti Spice Paste.
Using a curry paste means that we can control the strength of the spice flavour. Younger children and families that prefer a milder taste can use less of the paste 1 to 2tbsp and more mature family taste buds and those who love a bit more heat can use 2 to 3 tbsp of the curry paste.
Additional spices – we’ve added a few more spices along with the paste – cardamom pods, a cinnamon stick, bay leaves and ground turmeric, which just help to elevate the colour and create a greater depth of flavour.
Cooking & Keeping the lid on– do not be tempted to take the lid off while the biryani cooks, leave the lid on tight and only remove it once the cooking and steaming time is completed.
Equipment – a large high sided pan with a lid – we use a 24cm Le Creuset pan which we’ve had for years. There are many similar pans available to buy in all price ranges and the supermarkets are a great place to look.
How to cool and store any leftovers
With any leftover vegetable biryani, cooling and storing the rice must be done correctly to avoid any food poisoning. Cool any leftover vegetable biryani quickly, advice from NHS England says to do this within an hour of cooking. Then store in an airtight container in the fridge and eat the next day. The biryani must be eaten within 24 hours and reheated only once until piping hot all the way through.
To re-heat the vegetable biryani spoon the rice into an ovenproof dish, add a splash of water, and cover the dish tightly with foil. Place in the oven at 180°C fan for 20-25 minutes until steaming hot.
Our one-pot version of this Indian classic easy vegetable biryani is moist, full of flavour and requires minimal washing up. Brilliant as an accompaniment to a curry evening or as a tasty and satisfying mid-week meal.
Tip the rice into a bowl and pour over boiled water until the rice is covered and leave to soak whilst you prepare the other ingredients.
Heat a large heavy-bottomed pan, once the pan is warm add the extra virgin olive oil and warm then add the sliced onion. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until the onions start to soften.
Lower the heat and add the cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, turmeric and bay leaves – stir through the onions and cook for a further 2 minutes before adding the garlic, ginger and curry paste – cook for 2 more minutes.
Add the chopped potatoes, parsnips and pepper stir through and cook gently for 5 minutes, now add the raisins.
Drain and rinse the rice and tip into the pan with the vegetables and spices and stir through.
Pour over the vegetable stock and stir. Season well with salt and pepper.
Bring to the boil, cover with a tight-fitting lid, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, then remove from heat and leave to stand with the lid still on for 15 minutes, until the rice is soft.
Serve hot spooned into bowls scattered with toasted almond flakes and chopped coriander leaves.
Keywords: easy vegetable one-pot biryani
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