Vegetable Dum Biryani

Ingredients:
2 cups basmati rice
100 gms each of potaotes, cauliflower, beans, carrots and peas
4-5 large onions
2 bay leaves
2" piece cinnamon (dalchini)
1 1/2 cups curd
2 tsps turmeric powder
2-3 green chillies
Salt to taste
4 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 tbsp white butter or ghee
Everest biryani masala as per taste (any brand can be used, but I prefer Everest as it has the right mix of spices to my liking)
5 tbsps oil

Method:
1. Wash the rice well and boil it in 4-5 cups of water along with 1 tbsp salt till it is 70% done (crush the rice to check, the core of the grain should be uncooked)
2. Drain out all the hot water and set aside
3. Chop the potaotes, carrots and beans into 2" pieces (potatoes and carrots should be shaped like finger chips/french fries). Cauliflower should be cut into 2" florets. Cut the onion in half and julienne them
4. Take the oil in a kadai and fry the onions till they turn golden brown. Remove all excess oil and set aside.
5. In the same oil, fry the bay leaves, cinnamon and green chillies for a few seconds. Add the chopped vegetables, salt to taste (remember to add a bit more as this will be the salt needed for the rice too). Cover and cook for 5 mins
6. Take the curd in a bowl and beat it well. Add the garam masala powder, turmeric to the curd and mix well. Add the vegetables to the curd mix and marinate for 15 mins
7. The biryani can be cooked in a closed pot or a rice cooker. I will list both the methods here.
RICE COOKER METHOD
8. Pour the vegetable-curd mix into the bottom of the rice cooker. Layer the rice on the top of the vegetables and finally sprinkle the fried onions on top. Cover and leave to cook automatically. When the rice cooker turns off, add the ghee/butter and the coriander leaves to the rice and leave for 5 mins.  Mix well and serve with papad and raita

CLOSED POT METHOD
8. Grease the pot/handi. Add the vegetables at the bottom, layer the rice and onions as mentioned above. Cover the handi and seal it with roti dough. Cook on low heat for 10-12 mins. Once done, add the ghee/butter and coriander leaves. Mix well and serve hot

NOTE - I prefer the rice cooker method as it prevents the vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning which spoils the fragrance of the biryani :-)

EGG BIRYANI
In a variation, substitute the vegetables with hard-boiled eggs cut from the middle length-wise