
Kalyana Sadam Tamil Style
Tamil wedding-variety rice with vegetables and ghee, the sappadu centrepiece. The centrepiece format: spiced rice that needs nothing else on the table. A bowl of plain yogurt and pickled onions is all it wants.
Ingredients
- Ginger Garlic Paste1 tbsp
- Saltto taste
- Onion1, thinly sliced
- Green Chili2, slit
- Ghee2 tbsp
- Turmeric Powder1/2 tsp
- Basmati Rice2 cups, rinsed and soaked 20 minutes
- Whole Garam Masala Spices2 tsp
- Curry Leaves2 sprigs
- Mixed Vegetables1 cup, chopped
- Cashews1/4 cup
Optional extras
- Fresh Cilantro2 tbsp, chopped
Instructions
- 1
Wash the basmati rice till the water runs clear and let it soak while you build the masala; drain before it goes in.
- 2
Heat ghee in a wide, heavy pot; fry the whole spices — bay, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves — till they swell and smell like a spice box.
- 3
Cook the onions down till sweet and bronze, add the paste and spices, and fry till the oil gleams at the edges.
- 4
Tumble in the mixed vegetables, let it soften in the masala, then add the rice and toast it for two minutes, stirring.
- 5
Add hot water and salt, bring to a rolling boil, clamp the lid and steam on the lowest heat; leave it sealed ten minutes off the flame before fluffing.
Chef's tip
Fresh spices make the dish — if yours smell of nothing, the dish will taste of nothing.
/dish/30724Watch how it's made
Video: Veg Biryani / Vegetable Biryani in Tamil / வெஜிடபுள் பிரியாணி · on YouTube