Easy Sprouts Biryani | Black Eyed Peas & Green Gram Sprouts Biryani

  

How about a healthy, no ghee biryani using normal cooking rice? Sounds comfy and way more healthier right?  Then try this easy to make, ghee-less, sprouts Biryani and enjoy. You don't need vegetables or some meat to make biryani just some sprouted peas like green gram (moong/paasi payaru) and black eyed peas (vellai karamani) sprouts will make a  delicious biryani too. I have used normal rice that we use for regular cooking but it still tasted so so good and was a hit here at home. This serves a best lunch box recipe and am sure your kids and your family members will love it too. You don't need any extra time and there is no need to chop any vegetables or marinate ingredients here, so it is more handy kinda mess free. Onion raita and a boiled egg or omelette is enough to accompany this biryani and makes a very tasty and wholesome platter. I have already discussed here a chicken biryani using normal rice, do check it out and try it when you run out of basmati. Now lets see how I made this delicious biryani. 

  

INGREDIENTS

Serves 3 people
Total Preparation Time - 30 minutes

1. Ponni rice / Normal cooking rice - 1 cup (150 grams) 
2. Mixed sprouts - 1 cup (75 grams) (I used green gram and black eyed peas sprouts) 
3. Water - 3 cups (use the same cup for measuring water and rice)
4. Mint leaves / Pudhina - A handful (chopped) 
5. Coriander leaves - A handful 
6. Ginger - 2 inch long piece
7. Garlic pods - 3 medium sized pods 
8. Lemon juice - 3 spoons 
9. Red chilli powder - 1 spoon 
10. Fennel seeds / Saunf / Sombu - 1 spoon 
11. Cinnamon stick - 1 small stick (1 inch long) 
12. Star anise - 1 small flower 
13. Cardamom pods - 4 
14. Salt - As per taste 
15. Oil - 5 spoons 

PREPARATION METHOD

• Wash rice well in water and soak rice in fresh water for 10 minutes and set aside. (drain water after soaking)
• Meanwhile slice onions, grind ginger garlic into fine paste and set aside. 
• Now place a pressure cooker pan on flame and pour oil. Now add fennel seeds, cinnamon stick, star anise, cardamom pods on a low flame for a few seconds. Do not let them brown or burn. 
• Then add ginger garlic paste and salt and saute well. 
• Now add the chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves and saute well until the leaves shrink well. 
• Now add red chilli powder and saute well. After the raw smell leaves add the soaked rice and sprouts and saute well on low flame until the masala gets mixed up well with the rice grains. 
• Then pour 3 cups of water and stir well. Add lemon juice and then check for salt and add if needed. 
• Close the cooker with a lid and switch the flame to high mode. As soon as the steam or pressure oozes out of the nozzle place the whistle or regulator and switch the flame to low mode and cook for 10 minutes. (here we need the sprouts and the rice to get cooked, the timing and ratio of water I have mentioned gives a perfectly cooked and grainy biryani, so follow it)
• After 10 minutes switch off the flame and set aside until the pressure drops down completely. Then serve. 

   

 

TIP 1: You can use basmati rice but see that you add rice and water in the ratio 1:2. Do not use 1:1.5 ratio here as we want the sprouts also to get cooked. 

TIP 2: I have used green gram sprouts and black eyed peas sprouts and it got perfectly cooked by the time the rice got cooked, so I do not prefer to add any other spouts like the chickpea sprouts, as they may not get cooked. But still you can use half-cooked chickpea sprouts. 

TIP 3: You can also make this biryani with either one of the sprouts. 

TIP 4: Sprouts are tender already so prior soaking is not needed, if they are normal green gram or black eyed peas then prior soaking is definitely needed.

     

Delicious and healthier Biryani is now ready!! Serve with raita and boiled egg or omelette and enjoy..They make a great platter!!