During childhood days biryani is a very rare thing and i hardly remember amma making biryani. She regularly makes Tomato Rice for Lunch box . Tomato biryani our neighbour aunty makes so well and those days we don’t get Mint leaves , so whenever we demand aunty to make , aunty will call up uncle and tell him to buy mint leaves from a particular market in the city and the next day she makes yummy Tomato biryani which we will feast with simple raita. After i got married , when we both visited my mom’s place aunty made the Tomato biryani for both of us and we both enjoyed it.So i am sharing the recipe of Tomato Biryani – Jamuna aunty’s version.
Tomato Biryani recipe
Preparation Time : 15 mins | Cooking Time : 25 Mins |Serves: 3-4Seeraga samba recipe 1 and 1/4 cup
Water 1 cup
Coconut milk 3/4 cup
Tomato 2
Onion 1
Red chili powder 3/4 tsp
Biryani Masala 1 tsp
Salt as needed
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Ginger a small piece
Garlic 4 cloves
Small onion 8-9
Fennel seeds 1 tsp
Mint leaves few
Oil + Ghee 1 tblsp each
Green peas 1/4 cup
*Generally jeera samba rice is used to make tomato biryani, if u want u can use basmati rice too.
Method with step wise pictures:
- Wash and soak the rice for 15 minutes in 1 cup of water.
- Puree 2 tomatoes in mixer and keep aside.
- Grind the shallots(small onion),garlic,ginger and fennel seeds into a fine paste using little water.
- Chop the onion and mint leaves finely.
- In a pressure cooker, heat oil and ghee. Add the sliced onions and mint leaves.
- When onions turn brown, add the grind paste to this and saute in a low flame till the raw smell goes off.
- Add the tomato puree.
- Add chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. Saute for few minutes in a medium low flame till the raw smell goes off and the oil oozes out on sides.
- Add the green peas. If u don’t get get green peas you can skip it else u can add Butter beans too.
- Add the biryani masala. I used store bought biryani masala. You can add garam masala too.
- Add the rice now. Saute for a minute and add the soaked water too.
- Mix well.
- Mix well and add the coconut milk. I added the store bought one. Check out my home made coconut milk recipe.
- Close the lid of the cooker and keep the flame to medium.
- When it gives one whistle, keep the flame low and let this be like this for 10 minutes.
- Switch off the flame after 10 minutes.
- Fluff it with a fork once the pressure is released. Serve hot with any raita.
- We had with Potato fry, onion raita and i served Curd Rice and Fruit custard.
Note:
- If using basmati rice, reduce the water to 1/2 cup.
- Do not skip mint leaves and coconut milk.
- While grinding the masala you can saute the shallots in oil and grind, which will enhance the taste.
- You can add a tsp of cashew nuts while grinding.
- Bay leaves can be added while adding onions.
