This Diwali, Use Almonds To Make Chef Manish Mehrotra’s Biryani

Big and small boxes of dry fruits go around and like every year, we fulfil our social obligation towards our neighbours. But what about ourselves? Remember when you resolved to eat healthy earlier this year? How about starting now? No, we are not asking you to start eating porridge as the world relished on biryani, but you can certainly make your biryani worth the calories.  

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Almonds are loaded with vitamin E, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium and many more nutrients that make it healthy for bones, heart, skin, weight management and whatnot. They also add a nutty crunch and wholesome flavour to whatever they are added to be it laddoos, kheer or lassi. Internationally acclaimed chef Manish Mehrotra gave us a delicious almond biryani recipe this year to relish with friends and family. In place of white rice, the recipe uses barley, brown rice and pearl millet and ghee, making it low-carb, high-fibre and high on nutrition. Without any further a do, let’s get to the recipe. 

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Barley washed & drained 
• ½ cup Brown rice, washed & drained 
• ½ cup Pearl Millet, washed & drained 
• 2 tsp Ghee 
• 1 tsp Garlic, Chopped 
• 1 tbsp Ginger, Chopped 
• 1 tsp Green Chilli, Chopped 
• ½ cup Baby carrots, diced 
• ¼ cup Onion red, sliced 
• ½ salt to taste Black Pepper, Crushed  
• 1/2 tsp Salt to Taste 
• 7 cups Vegetable stock 
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds 
• 1 ½ tsp Chopped Coriander 
• 1 ½ tsp Chopped Spring Onion 
• ¼ cup Almonds

Method:

• Heat ghee in a large dutch oven/pot over medium heat. Add cumin seeds & bay leaf. As it crackles add onion, green chilli, garlic & ginger; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add carrots. Raise heat to medium-high, and cook, until carrots are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in all of the grains and cook for 12 minutes. Stir in stock; bring to a boil. 

• Add almonds. Cover the pot, and put in oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 180 degree celsius (check after 30 minutes; remove lid and cook a little longer if grains need to be softer). Fold in chopped herbs. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.