Good Dot Mock Meat Biryani

Some say Biriyani is not a dish that originated from India. But we Indians made it a household name. Biriyani unites all of us, north, south, east, or west. The recipes change from region to region, but all of them are unique on their own. So here is a fantastic recipe for all the fellow vegans. I hope you enjoy making and sharing it with friends and family.

Ingredients:

1. 2 packets GoodDot Mockmeat
2. 500 gms Long Grain Biryani Rice
3. 10 Large Onions sliced thin
4. 4 tbsp Edible Rosewater
5. 1tbsp Oil 

For the Marination:

1. 6 strands of saffron soaked in 1 tbsp water
2. 30 gms Biryani Masala (Shaan Bombay Biryani Masala or any other)
3. 4 Large Tomatoes chopped into medium-sized pieces
4. 4 Large Potatoes
5. 2 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste
6. 1 tsp Turmeric
7. 1 tsp Red Chilli powder
8. 4 green cardamoms
9. 3 black cardamoms
10. 2 2” cinnamon sticks
11. 1-star anise
12. 1 piece mace 
13. 1 tbsp oil
14. 2 tsp salt

For the Rice:

1. 4 green Cardamom
2. 3 Big Cardamom
3. 2 2” Cinnamon sticks
4. 6 strands of Saffron
5. 2 Bay leaves
6. 4 Cloves
7. 1 Star Anise
8. 1 pcs Mace
9. 1 tbsp Oil
10. 2 tbsp Salt 

For Garnishing:

1. ½ cup whole mint leaves for Mock meat 
2. 1/2 cup whole mint leaves for the Rice
3. 2 tbsp cashews for Mock meat Mix
4. 2 tbsp Cashews for Rice Garnish
5. 2 large onions sliced and deep-fried
6. 1 tsp Oil 

For coloring the rice:

1. 10 strands of Saffron
2. 1 tsp turmeric
3. 2 tbsp rose water 

Method:

Ideally, prep for biryani is done 5 hours or a day in advance.

Unpack and break apart the Good Dot meat into pieces. Break them up into mouth-sized pieces with your hand so they appear irregular in shape. 

Pressure cook the mock meat in exactly 1 cup of water for 3 whistles. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure to reduce naturally.

Now take a large bowl or vessel and add all the boiled Mock meat, potatoes (chopped into large cubes), and all the marination ingredients into the bowl except for the rose water. Mix in all the ingredients well with your hand mashing the tomatoes to let the juices flow. Cover and set aside for at least 3 hours or overnight in the fridge. 

Slice 10 of the onions thinly and keep them aside. 

Slice the remaining two onions thinly and deep fry them (150gms) to make crispy fried onions for garnishing.

Wash the rice and drain in a colander and keep aside. Put about 1.5 liters of water on the hob on high heat and start with the cooking of the mock meat in another dish while the water for the rice boils.

Heat a thick bottom steel pan and add 1tbsp oil. Turn down the heat to medium-low, add the marinated ingredients and sauté for around 8-10 minutes. Add 2 tbsp of rose water and 30-50ml of water and sauté for another 5-7 minutes. Add 2 tbsp broken cashews and ½ cup fresh mint to the mixture and turn off the heat. Cover the pot and keep it aside till your rice is ready.

Once the water begins to boil add the rice whole spices, saffron, oil & salt to the boiling water, followed by the washed rice in a thin stream to prevent the water from losing its heat. Let the rice boil for exactly 5 minutes and immediately drain the water out and set the drained rice aside. 

Heat the pot in which you want to layer the biryani and add 1 tbsp oil. Add the sliced onions and 1 tsp salt and mix it well. Now spread all this onion evenly at the bottom of the pan. Avoid caramelizing the onions at this point. Just a saute for a minute is enough. 

Spread the cooked mock meat and potatoes along with the masala without disturbing the onions at the bottom.

Top the mock meat with ¼ cup of mint and 1 tbsp of cashews and some pre-fried onions. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of rose water on the mixture. Now spread the drained rice evenly and lightly. 

Garnish the rice with the remaining cashews, mint & fried onions. Set some fried onions, mint & cashews aside to top your biryani while serving. 

To add more color take 1 tsp Turmeric and mix some saffron and 2 tbsp rose water in it. This is a better option than adding chemical-based color to your Biryani.

Spread this over the rice. Add in1 tsp oil over the rice. 

Cover the pot & place a weight over the lid and cook on a very very low heat for around 1 hour to 90 minutes. Check every half an hour to make sure the bottom is not burning. For a great biryani, the onions should be caramelized well and the mock meat and rice should be cooked well. The flavors of the mock meat get infused very well into the fragrant rice when cooked this way. 

Serve the biryani hot & in layers as it’s cooked. Scoop up the white rice with one serving and dig into the layer of Mock meat & potatoes with the other. 

Avoid disturbing the rest of the Biryani while serving. The layers should ideally be intact. 

Garnish with little crisp fried onions, a few mint leaves, and the remaining cashews. 

Enjoy with some delicious Vegan Raita on the side.

Also read: Vegan yogurt recipe

– Recipe by Jayalakshmi Rai