Brinji Rice Recipe Veg Brinji Recipe

Brinji Rice or Vegetable Brinji as we call it is a very flavourful and aromatic dish almost similar to biryani taste. Brinji is very famous across Tamil Nadu in hotels.

About Brinji Rice

Brinji Rice gets its name from Biryani which in short is called Brinji. Another reason being bayleaf also called Brinji Elai in tamil which is brinji leaf is used in this recipe hence the name. The first time I heard Brinji was in Chennai when we first relocated there way back in 2006. Brinji Rice is made with seeraga samba rice along with mixed vegetables, whole spices, herbs, masala powders and coconut milk. Brinji Rice tastes great on its own but perfect to pair it up with onion raita. Vegetable Brinji or Veg Brinji is a variation of the traditional biryani that replaces the meat or chicken with mixed vegetables. Brinji is a great one pot meal as it is rich in flavours and aromatic spices. This brinji with seeraga samba is ammas recipe and it is one of our family favourites. Amma always cook biryani or brinji in open pot but for ease and convenience I have posted the pressure cooker version.

Biryani vs Brinji

Brinji is similar to biryani but has its own unique taste and mainly differs in the ingredients and the preparation method. The main difference is we use basmati rice for biryani and use seera samba rice for brinji. Seeraga Samba Rice is a short grained variety of rice used for making biryani. Brinji is often served at local hotels, restaurants and also at weddings. The golden brown crispy bread topping is the highlight of this brinji. I have seen bread pieces very rarely in hotels but here in Hotel Annapoorna they add fried bread pieces and that is the main reason I love their biryani but the spices, flavours are too powering for my taste buds. Vegetable Brinji is a flavorful and aromatic rice dish that can be served with raita, or plain curd or any vegetable curry of your choice. Brinji is perfect for a wholesome and satisfying vegetarian meal!

Brinji Rice Ingredients

Rice – Seeraga samba rice is recommended for brinji as it adds great flavour to this dish. However alternatively you can use raw rice – pacharisi or basmati rice for this. Vegetables – I have used carrot, beans, peas and potato . You can additionally add cauliflower, mushroom, baby corn and other preferred veggies of your choice. Spice Powders – I have used turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala, coriander powder, biryani masala powder for making brinji. Coconut Milk – Coconut milk adds a great taste to brinji but do not add more as it might make rice mushy. Tomatoes & Herbs – Tomatoes gives tanginess to the dish and are added along with mint leaves & coriander leaves. Spices – Whole spices like Bayleaf, Cinnamon, Cloves, Cardamom, Star anise, Stone flower, Mace, Fennel seeds and Green chillies are used for tempering in oil + ghee. Onions & Ginger Garlic Paste – Onions are sliced thin and sauted until golden. Ginger garlic paste is one of the important ingredient that flavours brinji and yes use fresh homemade ginger garlic paste which is the best.

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📖 Recipe Card

Brinji Rice Step by Step

1.To a hand mortar and pestle add 6 cashews along with 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds 2.Crush it well as fine as possible. You can use mixer jar if grinding in bulk. 3.Rinse 1 cup seeraga samba rice then soak in water for 30 mins, Set aside. After 30 misn drain water completely and set aside. 4.Heat 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon ghee – then add

1 small bayleaf one 1/2 inch cinnamon 2 cloves 2 cardamom 1 small star anise 1 small mace 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

5.Give a quick saute. 6.Add 2 green chillies and 1 big sized onion sliced. 7.Saute until golden. 8.Add 1 medium sized tomato saute until mushy. 9.Add 1/4 cup mint leaves, 1/4 cup coriander leaves along with

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder 1 teaspoon red chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder 1 teaspoon biryani masala powder

10.Saute for a minute. 11.Add 2 cups mixed vegetables along with cashew, poppy seeds powder – I used

3/4 cup carrot cut int small cubes 1/4 cup beans cut into 1 inch long 1/2 cup fresh green peas 1/2 cup potato cut into small cubes

12.Saute for 2 minutes. 13.Add drained rice give a quick saute. 14.Add 1/4 cup coconut milk. 15.Add 1 and 3/4 cups water. 16.Close with lid, put on whistle and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Switch off and set aside. 17.Meanwhile we can prepare fried bread. Cut 4 slices bread into small squares. 18.Add to hot preheated oil in batches. 19.Fry until reddish brown as shown here. 20.Once pressure releases by itself open. Add 1 tablespoon ghee. 21.Gently fluff the rice from the sides using a sharp laddle. 22.Add fried bread pieces. 23.Give a quick mix. Vegetable Brinji is ready!

Expert Tips

Soaking Rice – Soaking rice gives soft fluffy rice so do not miss this step. Texture – A perfect brinji should be moist slightly greasy not too dry at the same time not mushy and it should be grain separated too. Rice : Water Ratio – Rice : Water ratio is 1 cup rice : 2 cups water . I added 1 and 3/4 cups water with 1/4 cups coconut milk. Vegetables – Vegetables measure should be double the amount of rice. Here I have used 1 cup rice for which I have used 2 cups vegetables. You can even add other vegetables like cauliflower mushrooms etc. Must haves – You can make ginger garlic paste, the spice powder mix before hand and store it. Coconut milk – Adding coconut milk enhances the taste of this dish so do not miss it. If you want you can replace coconut milk with curd too. You can replace biryani masala powder with garam masala powder if you do not have it. You can even skip poppy seeeds if you don’t have it. Adding 1 teaspoon lemon rice at the final stage gives good flavour too.

1.What is Brinji? How is it different from Biryani?

Brinji Rice, also known as Brinji Sadam, is a delicious South Indian one pot meal. It is a popular, aromatic one-pot rice recipe that orginates from Tamil Nadu. Brinji is similar to biryani mainly differs in the ingredients and the preparation method. The main difference is we use basmati rice for biryani and use seera samba rice for brinji. Seeraga Samba Rice is a short grained variety of rice used for making biryani.