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    Home » Variety Rice » Lucknowi Veg Biryani

    Lucknowi Veg Biryani

    Posted on April 13, 2019 · Last Updated on October 4, 2020 · By Srividhya G · 22 Comments

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    Lucknowi Veg Biryani is a classic and a fragrant Indian vegetarian biryani recipe from the Awadhi cuisine with a medley of vegetables and spices. Check out the pressure cooker version of the Lucknowi or the Awadhi veg biryani recipe with step-wise pictures.

    lucknowi veg biryani on a wooden bowl - top angle

    Awadhi Cuisine:

    It’s the cuisine native to the city of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh in India. Awadhi cuisine is known for its kebabs, biryanis, kormas, chaats, samosas, and parathas. Mughal cooking techniques heavily influence this cuisine, and great chefs of Awadh invented the art of dum-style cooking. I recently started exploring this cuisine so stay tuned for some exciting recipes.

    Indian Biryanis:

    Even though we use the same set of spices and fragrant flavors for Hyderabadi biryani, Kolkata biryani, and Lucknowi biryani, they are different, and they are all rich and delicious. While Hyderabadi biryani is slightly spicy and robust, Lucknowi biryani is mild and subtle. And you cannot separate peppercorns and potatoes from Kolkata biryani. As I made all these biryanis in the pressure cooker and Instant Pot, I can’t talk about the differences in cooking style. :-)lucknowi veg biryani in a wooden bowl on a wooden plate

    Lucknowi Biryani:

    I adapted my Lucknowi recipe from here. I used the Sela basmati rice for biryani. You can read more about it in the Delhi veg biryani recipe. One of the local restaurants here serve Lucknowi biryani with paneer and vegetables, and that inspired me to include paneer. But instead of cooking the paneer along with the biryani, I shallow-fried the paneer and cashews and included it later. We love that mild crunch, and it surely adds a layer of richness to the biryani.

    Now without any further ado, let me share how I made this Lucknowi veg biryani in the pressure cooker.close look of awadhi veg biryani in a bowl

    Ingredients:

    • 3 tbsp ghee, divided 1 tbsp + 2 tbsp
    • ½ cup paneer cubes or approx 12 to 15 paneer cubes
    • 10 cashews
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 2 cloves
    • 1 inch-cinnamon
    • 1 black cardamom
    • 2 cardamom
    • 1 mace
    • 1 onion cut lengthwise
    • 1.5 tsp ginger-garlic paste
    • 1 tsp red chili powder
    • ½ tsp coriander powder
    • 1 tsp garam masala
    • 2 tsps salt
    • ¼ zucchini, cut into big chunks
    • ½ carrot, cut into roundels
    • ¼ cup peas
    • 5 cauliflower florets
    • 2 potatoes, cut into big cubes
    • 2 tbsp yogurt
    • 1 tbsp rose water
    • 2 tbsp lukewarm water
    • 5 saffron strands
    • 1 cup sela basmati rice, soaked for 30 minutes and drained
    • 1.25 cups water

    Steps:

    • Soak the saffron in the luke-warm water and set aside. Soak it for atleast 15 to 20 minutes.
    • Heat the pressure cook or pressure pan and add 1 tbsp of ghee.
    • Add the cashews and paneer. And fry them until they turn light brown. Remove it from the pan and set aside on a plate/bowl.

    lucknowi biryani - frying panner and cashews.

    • Add the remaining 2 tbsps of ghee and add the whole spices – bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom, black cardamom, and mace.
    • Fry for 30 seconds and then add the ginger garlic paste and the onion. Cook until the turns are soft and translucent.

    lucknowi biryani - cooking onions and spices

    • Then add the spice powders – red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and salt — mix thoroughly.

    lucknowi biryani - adding spices

    • Add the chopped vegetables and give it a good mix.

    lucknowi biryani adding vegetables

    • Now add the yogurt and rose water and mix.

    lucknowi biryani - adding rosewater and yogurt

    • Then add the rice, water and saffron water. 

    lucknowi biryani - adding rice, water

    • Mix thoroughly and scrape the bottom if needed.

    lucknowai biryani - after adding water

    • Close the pressure cooker and put the weight on and cook for one whistle.

    lucknowi biryani after rice is done

    • Allow the pressure to release naturally and open the lid.
    • Let the biryani to cool for 5 minutes and fluff it with a fork. Add the fried paneer cubes and cashews. Serve hot with raita.

    lucknowi veg biryani in two bowl with condiments on the top

    Recipe Notes-

    • Adjust salt and spice according to your preference. Make sure you chop the veggies into big chunks for this biryani like the Hyderabadi biryani.
    • If you can sure biryani essence or the biryani ittar, you can add ⅛th tsp of that instead of rose water and saffron water.
    • I did not include kewra water/essence, but you can add that as well.
    lucknow veg biryani in two bowls
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    5 from 4 votes

    Lucknowi Veg Biryani

    Lucknowi Veg Biryani is a classic and a fragrant Indian vegetarian biryani recipe from the Awadhi cuisine with a medley of vegetables and spices.
    Prep Time30 mins
    Cook Time30 mins
    Soaking Time30 mins
    Total Time50 mins
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: Awadhi
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 479kcal
    Author: Srividhya G

    Ingredients

    • 3 tbsp ghee divided 1 tbsp + 2 tbsp
    • ½ cup paneer cubed or approx 12 to 15 paneer cubes
    • 10 cashews
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 2 cloves
    • 1 inch cinnamon
    • 2 cardamom
    • 1 black cardamom
    • 1 mace
    • 1 onion cut lengthwise
    • 1.5 tsp ginger-garlic paste
    • 1 tsp red chili powder
    • ½ tsp coriander powder
    • 1 tsp garam masala
    • 2 tsps salt
    • ¼ zucchini cut into big chunks
    • ½ carrot cut into roundels
    • ¼ cup peas
    • 5 cauliflower florets
    • 2 potatoes cut into big cubes
    • 2 tbsp yogurt
    • 1 tbsp rose water
    • 2 tbsp lukewarm water
    • 5 saffron strands
    • 1 cup sela basmati rice soaked for 30 minutes and drained
    • 1.25 cups water

    Instructions

    • Soak the saffron in the lukewarm water and set aside. Soak it for atleast 15 to 20 minutes.
    • Heat the pressure cook or pressure pan and add 1 tbsp of ghee.
    • Add the cashews and paneer and fry them until they turn light brown.
    • Remove it from the pan and set aside on a plate/bowl.
    • Add the remaining 2 tbsps of ghee and add the whole spices - bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom, black cardamom, and mace.
    • Fry for 30 seconds and then add the ginger garlic paste and the onion.
    • Cook until the turns are soft and translucent.
    • Then add the spice powders - red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and salt — mix thoroughly.
    • Add the chopped vegetables and give it a good mix.
    • Now add the yogurt and rose water and mix.
    • Then add the rice, water and saffron water. Mix thoroughly and scrape the bottom if needed.
    • Gently mix.
    • Close the pressure cooker and put the weight on and cook for one whistle.
    • Allow the pressure to release naturally and open the lid.
    • Let the biryani to cool for 5 minutes and fluff it with a fork. Add the fried paneer cubes and cashews. Serve hot with raita.

    Notes

    • Adjust salt and spice according to your preference.
    • Make sure you chop the veggies into big chunks for this biryani like the Hyderabadi biryani.
    • If you can source biryani essence or the biryani ittar, you can add ⅛th tsp of that instead of rose water and saffron water.
    • I did not include kewra water/essence, but you can add that as well.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 479kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 1217mg | Potassium: 724mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1570IU | Vitamin C: 28.9mg | Calcium: 217mg | Iron: 4.8mg

    I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @vidhyasvegetariankitchen or tag #vidhyasvegkitchen
    For Video RecipesCheck out My YouTube Channel

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    Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#99

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    543 shares
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    Filed Under: Biryani, Variety Rice Tagged With: awadhi veg biryani, Blogging Marathon, lakhnawi biryani, lucknowi veg biryani, pressure cooker biryani, vegetable biryani varieties

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Arun Ramani says

      July 12, 2020 at 2:42 pm

      5 stars
      Cooked this for lunch in the pressure cooker. Everyone loved the Biryani. Doubles the quantity and added 1 spoon off Kitchen king and 1 spook of Gautam masala. It was delicious and very different from the other Biryanis (Hyderbadi, Ambur, Calcutta, Malabar, Delhi etc). Thanks for the sharing this tasty recipe.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        July 12, 2020 at 9:23 pm

        Thanks a lot for the feedback. Glad it worked out well.

        Reply
    2. Swati says

      May 28, 2019 at 9:17 pm

      I made the Instant Pot version of this Biryani!! The pressure cooker and Instant pot versions are almost the smae. I too agree that paneer should be added after as many time sit gets hard and chewy if added while the biryani is cooking. Superb share.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        May 29, 2019 at 3:53 pm

        Thanks a lot. :-)

        Reply
    3. Renu says

      May 14, 2019 at 4:50 am

      5 stars
      You have got all the traditional Birayani’s and have made it so nicely. Each and every one looks just wow. This one too looks lip-smacking delicious.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        May 14, 2019 at 9:27 am

        Thanks Renu

        Reply
    4. momchef77@gmail.com says

      April 18, 2019 at 5:38 am

      I know this is flavourful coz I made it an year or two ago for the april MegaBM :) ur version is very inviting, Vidhya …

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 18, 2019 at 11:47 am

        Thanks :-)

        Reply
    5. harini says

      April 16, 2019 at 7:58 pm

      Wow! Wonderful biryani again. Looks so appetizing even at bed time :)

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 16, 2019 at 8:58 pm

        :-) Thanks Harini

        Reply
    6. Suma Gandlur says

      April 16, 2019 at 7:48 pm

      Lucknowi biryani with paneer and veggies is looking pretty colorful. Your quick version biryanis come handy during time crunches and they all look perfect.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 16, 2019 at 8:59 pm

        Thanks much.

        Reply
    7. Srivalli Jetti says

      April 16, 2019 at 2:55 am

      Oh I love the pictures Srividhya, surely very sinful and tempting. I too like adding the paneer at the end, somehow don’t like it getting cooked along with Rice. All the biryanis are a class of its own and one can’t decide which is better!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 16, 2019 at 2:01 pm

        So true about the biryanis. Thanks Valli.

        Reply
    8. Sushma Pinjala says

      April 15, 2019 at 6:18 pm

      Lucknowi biryani has been on my todo list for a quite sometime now. I thought of making it for this months theme,
      but could not. Your dish looks absolutely delicious.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 16, 2019 at 2:09 pm

        Thanks, Sushma.

        Reply
    9. Sharmila Kingsly says

      April 15, 2019 at 9:07 am

      Cant take my eyes of this yummy biryani.. It is looking so so good… Definitely trying this out!!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 15, 2019 at 3:38 pm

        Thanks Sharmi. Please do try and I am sure you will love it.

        Reply
    10. Gayathri Kumar says

      April 15, 2019 at 4:14 am

      This version of biryani looks so colourful Vidya. Even I don’t add paneer while cooking rice as it will become too soft in the process. The presentation is wonderful as usual.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 15, 2019 at 8:36 am

        Thanks, much Gayathri. :-)

        Reply
    11. Vaishali Sabnani says

      April 14, 2019 at 1:09 am

      Hyderabad and Lucknow are the Biryani hubs and I love both Hyderabadi and Lucknowi Biryanis , it’s hard to decide which one is better .
      This Lucknowi Biryani is surely attracting me , it looks super delicious and I am definitely bookmarking it !

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 15, 2019 at 8:40 am

        I agree with you. I love both the biryanis… Hard to pick one.

        Reply

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