Egg Biryani

Serves - 1
Ingredients -
Base -
1/3rd cup Basmati/long grain rice - washed and soaked in water
1 egg thoroughly washed under running water

To add Veg Punch -
1 medium size onion chopped finely
1 small carrot - grated
1/4 cup green peas
3 or 4 french beans - chopped very finely
1 long green chilly
2 pods garlic
1 small piece ginger
1 medium size tomato
2 spoonful of chopped coriander
Mint leaves 5/6 if available

Other Ingredients -
1/3rd cup Curd
1 small cinnamon stick( daalchini)
1 small cardamom (Open the peel and separate the grains)
1 clove
4-5 black pepper (coarse grind)
cumin seeds (jeera)
2 bayleaves (tejpatta)
salt as per taste
1 spoonful of veg biryani masala ( use garam -masala / saunf -coriander powder/cinnamon powder mix otherwise)
Turmeric - 1 very small spoon ( Since I did not have saffron at home otherwise soak 2 strands of saffron in 1/4 cup milk)
1-2 spoons Oil - I prefer olive oil but you can use any brand or desi ghee too. You can be as generic with ghee/oil based on your diet concise :)

Does it sound like a lot? But trust me it felt easiest while cooking :)

Preparation:
1. I kept rice and the thoroughly washed egg together for boiling.
To make my job easy and clean, I used my electric kettle with 5 times water and completely forgot about it until I needed it. the auto shut off feature/ stainless steel make and the glass lid of kettle are really a boon.


2. Mix the dry masala in a small bowl inluding - cumin seeds, crushed peppers, bayleaves, hand crushed cardamom, clove and cinnamon stick.
3. Chop onions and slit half the green chilly from middle.
4. Using grinder, make tomato puree and put remaining half of green chilly too, while making puree.
4. Grate carrot and finely chop beans
5. make a paste of ginger garlic
6. wash and strain the water from coriander and mint leaves.

Cooking:

1. Heat oil in a kadhai
2. Put dry masala mix and let it splutter for 10-15 secs.
3. Put onion and half green chilly and cook until onions turn pink.
4. Put ginger garlic paste and cook for another 30 secs.
5. Put carrots, peas, beans. Cover the lid and cook for 3-4 mins on low flame.
6. When the peas are cooked, add salt, biryani masala and coriander/ mint leaves. Cook for 1 minute.
7. Take out half of the mixture from kadhai and keep it in a bowl separately.
8. Add tomato puree to the kadhai. Cover the lid and cook for another 2 mins on low flame.
9. Now is the time to unpeel the shell from the boiled egg. Make 3-4 vertical slits around the egg using a knife.
10. Drain the water out of rice and keep separately.
11. When the tomato puree is cooked, add turmeric and cook for 30 secs.
12. Add the curd in kadhai and cook for another 1 minute.
13. Put the egg in kadhai and cover it around with the masala especially around slits. Cover the kadhai and let it cook for another 3-4 mins.
14. Mix the masala well in kadhai around egg, and then add about 2/3rd  of white rice tothis masala. Stir very lightly once or twice.
15. Spread remaining white rice on top of it but do not stir.
16. Spread the other half of cooked veg mixture that we kept out separately in a bowl in step 7 above, evenly over the rice.
17. Cover the kadhai and let it cook over low flame without stirring for another 5 minutes.
18. Serve by taking the contents upside down from kadhai and stir only once, lightly to give the layered look of biryani.
19. Serve with Raitha/Pickles.
20. Relish the delicacy of this simple yet elaborate home made egg biryani!

My Notes and experiments :
1. Grated carrots add the extra orangish layer of color to this biryani.
2. Use turmeric powder instead of saffron if its not at home.
3. If you want to make a veg biryani, replace egg with boiled potato cut into 4 large cubes.
4. If you want to buy an electric kettle, invest once and for all in a reputed steel kettle with wide mouth so that you can clean it easily, use it for all types of cooking/ boiling/ sterilizing needs. While the plastic kettle smells badly. I bought Morphy Richards Electric Kettle - InstaCook and really happy about this one.
5. To make more serves, add proportions of ingredients as per your needs.
6. It took me about 40 mins to get this recipe ready.