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Easy Vegetable Breyani with Rice and Dhall with Mixed Vegetables and Butter Beans
Bring bold spices and colourful vegetables together with this Easy Vegetable Breyani with Rice and Dhall for a satisfying family meal.
Why You Will Love and Enjoy This Easy Vegetable Breyani with Rice and Dhall
- It’s packed with colourful vegetables, warming spices, and fluffy basmati rice in every bite.
- The homemade dhall is simple to make and pairs perfectly with the breyani.
- It’s ideal for family dinners, entertaining, or making ahead for delicious leftovers.
Additional Information
- Can this be frozen? Yes. Allow both the breyani and dhall to cool completely before freezing in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently with a splash of water.
- How long can it be stored? Refrigerator: Store in airtight containers for up to 4 days. Reheat thoroughly before serving. The flavours are often even better the next day.
- Can I make this ahead? Yes. Prepare it a day ahead, refrigerate, and gently reheat before serving.
- Can I use fresh vegetables? Absolutely. Fresh carrots, peas, cauliflower, beans, and potatoes all work beautifully.
- Why let the breyani rest before serving? Resting for 10 minutes allows the steam to settle, giving fluffier rice that won’t break apart when serving.
- Can I make it spicier or milder? Certainly, adjust the amount of green and dried chili to suit your family’s taste.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Swap basmati rice for jasmine rice if that’s what you have.
- Replace butter beans with chickpeas or kidney beans.
- Use fresh mixed vegetables instead of frozen.
- If you don’t have Rajah All in 1 Masala with Garlic, use your favourite breyani masala blend plus 1 tsp garlic paste.
- Coriander can replace mint if preferred. Omit the food colouring if you’d rather keep everything natural
Easy Vegetable Breyani with Rice and Dhall
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 80 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings depending on size 1x
- Category: Dinner Recipes
- Method: Easy Cooking
- Cuisine: Indian
Description
This Easy Vegetable Breyani is packed with colourful vegetables, fragrant spices, fluffy basmati rice, and hearty beans for a satisfying meal that’s full of flavour. Pair it with the simple homemade dhall and a fresh salad, and you’ve got a comforting dinner that’s surprisingly easy to pull together.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Vegetable Breyani
- 2 1/2 cups basmati rice
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida)
- 3 green chili, sliced
- 4 dried red chili
- 1 tsp jeera seeds
- 1/4 tsp fennel seeds
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 5 green cardamom (elachi) pods
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 star anise
- 1/2 cup maas
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 tbsp Rajah All in 1 Masala with Garlic
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp dhania jeera powder
- 10 to 12 curry leaves
- 1/2 tsp saffron threads
- 1.1 nlb – 500 g frozen mixed vegetables
- 1 small bunch fresh mint, roughly chopped
- 14 oz – 1 x 400 g can breyani lentils, drained and rinsed
- 14 oz – 1 x 400 g can butter beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup cold water
- Powdered food colouring, optional
- Salt, to taste if needed
Easy Dhall
- 2 tsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp jeera seeds
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- Pinch of hing
- 8 to 10 curry leaves
- 3 dried red chili
- 1 tsp dhania jeera powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 6 whole garlic cloves or 1 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 8.8 oz – 250 g pink or red lentils, rinsed well
- About 4 cups water
- Salt, to taste
- 1 tbsp butter
- Chopped fresh chives for serving
Instructions
-
Rice
- Rinse the 2 1/2 cups basmati rice until the water runs clear.
- Par-cook the rice until it is about 70% cooked, then drain well and set aside. This helps prevent the rice from becoming mushy during the final steaming.
Vegetable Filling
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large heavy-based pot over medium heat.
- Fry the 2 large, sliced onions until golden brown and crisp. Remove half of the onions and set them aside for the topping.
- Add 1/4 tsp hing, 3 sliced green chili, 4 dried red chili, 1 tsp jeera seeds, 1/4 tsp fennel seeds, 3 cinnamon sticks, 5 cardamom pods, 2 bay leaves, and 2 star anise.
- Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant.
- Stir in the 1/2 cup maas, 1 tsp turmeric, 2 tbsp Rajah All in 1 Masala with Garlic, 1 tsp garam masala, 2 tsp dhania jeera powder, 10 to 12 curry leaves, and 1/2 tsp saffron threads.
- Cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so the spices don’t catch.
- Add the 500 g frozen mixed vegetables and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Stir in the small bunch of chopped fresh mint, the drained can of breyani lentils, and the drained can of butter beans.
- Cook for another 5 minutes until everything is heated through. Taste and season with salt if needed.
Breyani
- Spread the par-cooked rice evenly over the vegetable mixture without stirring it into the filling.
- Sprinkle a little powdered food colouring, if using, over the rice.
- Scatter the reserved fried onions evenly across the top.
- Pour the 1/2 cup cold water gently over the rice.
- Increase the heat until you see steam escaping from the pot.
- Reduce the heat to its lowest setting, cover tightly, and cook for about 30 minutes until the rice is tender and fully cooked.
- Allow the breyani to rest for 10 minutes before gently fluffing with a fork. This makes a noticeable difference and helps keep the rice beautifully separate.
Easy Dhall
- Heat 2 tsp oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the 1 tsp mustard seeds and 1 tsp jeera seeds. Let them splutter.
- Stir in the 1 sliced onion, pinch of hing (asafoetida), 8 to 10 curry leaves, and 3 dried red chili. Cook until the onion softens and turns lightly golden.
- Add the 1 tsp dhania jeera powder, 1 tsp turmeric, 6 whole garlic cloves or 1 tsp crushed garlic, and the 1 chopped tomato. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until the tomato softens.
- Add the 250 g rinsed lentils and about 4 cups water. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for 25 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are completely soft. Add a little more water if needed.
- Season with salt to taste.
- Stir in the 1 tbsp butter and finish with fresh chopped chives before serving.
- Serve the dhall (lentils) alongside the Vegetable Breyani with a crisp green salad for a complete meal.
Notes
Prepared, tried, and tested by Irene
Recipe Card powered by
A Vegetable Breyani with Rice and Dhall is a flavourful vegetarian meal that pairs perfectly with homemade dhall and a crisp salad. It is a wonderful recipe to keep close whenever you want a comforting homemade dinner.
Easy Vegetable Breyani brings together fluffy basmati rice, colourful vegetables, fragrant spices, hearty beans, and homemade dhall in one satisfying meal. It is simple enough for a family dinner yet impressive enough for guests, making it a recipe that’s easy to return to whenever comforting homemade food is on the menu.
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