Vegetable Biryani

What you will need:
Rice - 2 cups
Onions - 2 large
Vegetables - 2 cups (potatoes, carrots, cauliflower)
Green chillies - 5
Whole garam masala - bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves etc
Nuts (Dry fruits) - cashews, almonds (optional)
Coriander leaves - a bunch
Mint leaves - a bunch
Yogurt - 3 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Saffron soaked in water - 1/2 tsp
Oil/Ghee - 3 tbsp
Salt to taste

For the masala:

Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp

OR

Store bought biryani mix - 4 tsp

How to prepare
Deep fry the sliced onions and set aside. I do not like to deep fry the onions as I am trying to watch my diet ;). So I added the onions in the ghee before adding the vegetables in the recipe below.
Boil 5 cups of water. Add a few drops of oil and a teaspoon of salt. Add the rice and cook until its 75% done. Drain all the water out of the rice.
Heat ghee/oil in a deep bottomed pan. Add the cumin seeds, whole garam masala and nuts. I added the onions and browned them at this stage. If using deep fried onions, you can skip this step.
Add the vegetables and green chillies. Now add the ingredients for the masala or store bought biryani mix. Add the yogurt, and half of the chopped coriander and mint leaves. Mix everything together. Lower the flame and cook until the vegetables are 75% done. Add half of the rice. If you are adding deep fried onions, you can layer it over the rice. Add the rest of the coriander and mint leaves. Add the rest of the rice and sprinkle saffon water on top. Cover and cook on a low flame until the rice is completely cooked. Turn the heat off and mix the layers together. Serve hot.