Quick and Easy Vegetable Breyani

Par cook 2½ cups rice of your choice

2 large onions

¼ cup oil

½ tsp hing

1 tsp jeera seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

3 cinnamon sticks

5 elachi pods

2 bay leaves

2 star anise

½ cup maas (sour milk)

1 tsp turmeric

2 tbsp wet leaf masala or Bombay masala

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp dhania jeera powder ½ tsp saffron

1 kg frozen Asian stir fry mix 1 small bunch mint

1 can breyani lentils

1 can butter beans

1 punnet mushrooms

½ tsp powdered food colouring

Fry onions in oil. Remove ½ of the fried onion and keep aside. Add hing, whole or lightly roasted and ground: jeera seeds, fennel seeds, cinnamon sticks, elachi pods, bayleaves and star anise, and fry for a few minutes.

Add masala and cook on low heat for a few minutes. Add maas, turmeric, garam masala, dhania jeera powder and saffron.

Leave to cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes until the flavours are infused. Add rinsed and drained stir fry vegetable and cook for 5 minutes.

Add cleaned and washed mint, breyani lentils, butter beans (washed and drained) and cleaned mushrooms. Cook for another 5 minutes. Season to taste.

Spread rice over vegetables, sprinkle powdered food colouring over the top and spread the fried onions over. Pour half cup cold water all over the top of the breyani.

Let it cook on high until you see steam coming out of the pot.

Reduce heat to the lowest and cook covered for about half an hour or until the rice is cooked through.

Feel free to add roasted potatoes or boiled eggs to the breyani.

Serve with dhall and salad or pickles.