Sweet Corn Palak Biryani

Ingredients:

Rice: 2 cups

Sweet corn: 1 cup (fresh/frozen)

Spinach leaves (Palak): 2 bunches

Onion (big): 1 no.

Ginger: 1 inch piece

Garlic: 5 cloves

Bay leaf: 3 nos.

Cinnamon: 2 nos.

Shajeera: 1 tsp

Cardamom: 4/5 nos.

Clove: 4/5 nos.

Salt: as required

Turmeric: A pinch

Oil: 2 tbsp.

Ghee: 1 tsp

Green chillies: 3 nos.

Coriander: 1 small bunch

Almonds: 10 nos.

Method of cooking:

1. First take 2 cups of rice, wash and soak in 5 cups of water.

2. Meanwhile clean and cut the onion length wise into thin slices. Clean the spinach leaves and coriander leaves.

3. Take a mixer grinder, grind spinach, coriander leaves, ginger, garlic and almonds into smooth fine paste adding half cup of water. Transfer it into a bowl and set aside.

4. Heat a non-stick pan pour oil and ghee together, add onions and fry till they turn into golden brown colour.

5. Add whole garam masala spices (bay leaf, cinnamon , cardamom and clove) and sauté for 2 minutes and add the spinach, almond, coriander and green chilli ground paste.

6. Fry on low flame till the oil separates. 

7. Now just take the soaked rice leaving water in the bowl (the water should be used for cooking biriyani) and add to the spinach paste so that the masala coats the rice grains well.

8. Mix thoroughly with spatula and add water drained from soaked rice. Add required amount of salt.

9. Once it comes to a boiling point transfer them to a pressure cooker and cook it for 2/3 whistles or else cook it in a rice cooker.

10. Now the biriyani is ready to be served with raitha/pickle.
Tips:

1.Usually I prepare biriyani with old rice taking 1 cup of rice and 21/2 cups of water . If basmati rice is to be used the ratio of water will be for 1 cup rice 2 cups of water.

2. While using almonds either soak them for half hour and peel the skin or directly can be added while grinding spinach leaves. Almonds give a mild sweetish flavor to biryani.