Lucknowi Veg Biryani is a classic and a fragrant Indian vegetarian biryani recipe from the Awadhi cuisine with a medley of vegetables and spices. Check out the pressure cooker version of the Lucknowi or the Awadhi veg biryani recipe with step-wise pictures.
Awadhi Cuisine:
It’s the cuisine native to the city of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh in India. Awadhi cuisine is known for its kebabs, biryanis, kormas, chaats, samosas, and parathas. Mughal cooking techniques heavily influence this cuisine, and great chefs of Awadh invented the art of dum-style cooking. I recently started exploring this cuisine so stay tuned for some exciting recipes.
Indian Biryanis:
Even though we use the same set of spices and fragrant flavors for Hyderabadi biryani, Kolkata biryani, and Lucknowi biryani, they are different, and they are all rich and delicious. While Hyderabadi biryani is slightly spicy and robust, Lucknowi biryani is mild and subtle. And you cannot separate peppercorns and potatoes from Kolkata biryani. As I made all these biryanis in the pressure cooker and Instant Pot, I can’t talk about the differences in cooking style. :-)
Lucknowi Biryani:
I adapted my Lucknowi recipe from here. I used the Sela basmati rice for biryani. You can read more about it in the Delhi veg biryani recipe. One of the local restaurants here serve Lucknowi biryani with paneer and vegetables, and that inspired me to include paneer. But instead of cooking the paneer along with the biryani, I shallow-fried the paneer and cashews and included it later. We love that mild crunch, and it surely adds a layer of richness to the biryani.
Now without any further ado, let me share how I made this Lucknowi veg biryani in the pressure cooker.
Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp ghee, divided 1 tbsp + 2 tbsp
- ½ cup paneer cubes or approx 12 to 15 paneer cubes
- 10 cashews
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cloves
- 1 inch-cinnamon
- 1 black cardamom
- 2 cardamom
- 1 mace
- 1 onion cut lengthwise
- 1.5 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsps salt
- ¼ zucchini, cut into big chunks
- ½ carrot, cut into roundels
- ¼ cup peas
- 5 cauliflower florets
- 2 potatoes, cut into big cubes
- 2 tbsp yogurt
- 1 tbsp rose water
- 2 tbsp lukewarm water
- 5 saffron strands
- 1 cup sela basmati rice, soaked for 30 minutes and drained
- 1.25 cups water
Steps:
- Soak the saffron in the luke-warm water and set aside. Soak it for atleast 15 to 20 minutes.
- Heat the pressure cook or pressure pan and add 1 tbsp of ghee.
- Add the cashews and paneer. And fry them until they turn light brown. Remove it from the pan and set aside on a plate/bowl.
- Add the remaining 2 tbsps of ghee and add the whole spices – bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom, black cardamom, and mace.
- Fry for 30 seconds and then add the ginger garlic paste and the onion. Cook until the turns are soft and translucent.
- Then add the spice powders – red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and salt — mix thoroughly.
- Add the chopped vegetables and give it a good mix.
- Now add the yogurt and rose water and mix.
- Then add the rice, water and saffron water.
- Mix thoroughly and scrape the bottom if needed.
- Close the pressure cooker and put the weight on and cook for one whistle.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally and open the lid.
- Let the biryani to cool for 5 minutes and fluff it with a fork. Add the fried paneer cubes and cashews. Serve hot with raita.
Recipe Notes-
- Adjust salt and spice according to your preference. Make sure you chop the veggies into big chunks for this biryani like the Hyderabadi biryani.
- If you can sure biryani essence or the biryani ittar, you can add ⅛th tsp of that instead of rose water and saffron water.
- I did not include kewra water/essence, but you can add that as well.
📖 Recipe
Lucknowi Veg Biryani
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp ghee divided 1 tbsp + 2 tbsp
- ½ cup paneer cubed or approx 12 to 15 paneer cubes
- 10 cashews
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cloves
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 2 cardamom
- 1 black cardamom
- 1 mace
- 1 onion cut lengthwise
- 1.5 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsps salt
- ¼ zucchini cut into big chunks
- ½ carrot cut into roundels
- ¼ cup peas
- 5 cauliflower florets
- 2 potatoes cut into big cubes
- 2 tbsp yogurt
- 1 tbsp rose water
- 2 tbsp lukewarm water
- 5 saffron strands
- 1 cup sela basmati rice soaked for 30 minutes and drained
- 1.25 cups water
Instructions
- Soak the saffron in the lukewarm water and set aside. Soak it for atleast 15 to 20 minutes.
- Heat the pressure cook or pressure pan and add 1 tbsp of ghee.
- Add the cashews and paneer and fry them until they turn light brown.
- Remove it from the pan and set aside on a plate/bowl.
- Add the remaining 2 tbsps of ghee and add the whole spices - bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom, black cardamom, and mace.
- Fry for 30 seconds and then add the ginger garlic paste and the onion.
- Cook until the turns are soft and translucent.
- Then add the spice powders - red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and salt — mix thoroughly.
- Add the chopped vegetables and give it a good mix.
- Now add the yogurt and rose water and mix.
- Then add the rice, water and saffron water. Mix thoroughly and scrape the bottom if needed.
- Gently mix.
- Close the pressure cooker and put the weight on and cook for one whistle.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally and open the lid.
- Let the biryani to cool for 5 minutes and fluff it with a fork. Add the fried paneer cubes and cashews. Serve hot with raita.
Notes
- Adjust salt and spice according to your preference.
- Make sure you chop the veggies into big chunks for this biryani like the Hyderabadi biryani.
- If you can source biryani essence or the biryani ittar, you can add ⅛th tsp of that instead of rose water and saffron water.
- I did not include kewra water/essence, but you can add that as well.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
Cooked this for lunch in the pressure cooker. Everyone loved the Biryani. Doubles the quantity and added 1 spoon off Kitchen king and 1 spook of Gautam masala. It was delicious and very different from the other Biryanis (Hyderbadi, Ambur, Calcutta, Malabar, Delhi etc). Thanks for the sharing this tasty recipe.
Thanks a lot for the feedback. Glad it worked out well.
I made the Instant Pot version of this Biryani!! The pressure cooker and Instant pot versions are almost the smae. I too agree that paneer should be added after as many time sit gets hard and chewy if added while the biryani is cooking. Superb share.
Thanks a lot. :-)
You have got all the traditional Birayani’s and have made it so nicely. Each and every one looks just wow. This one too looks lip-smacking delicious.
Thanks Renu
I know this is flavourful coz I made it an year or two ago for the april MegaBM :) ur version is very inviting, Vidhya …
Thanks :-)
Wow! Wonderful biryani again. Looks so appetizing even at bed time :)
:-) Thanks Harini
Lucknowi biryani with paneer and veggies is looking pretty colorful. Your quick version biryanis come handy during time crunches and they all look perfect.
Thanks much.
Oh I love the pictures Srividhya, surely very sinful and tempting. I too like adding the paneer at the end, somehow don’t like it getting cooked along with Rice. All the biryanis are a class of its own and one can’t decide which is better!
So true about the biryanis. Thanks Valli.
Lucknowi biryani has been on my todo list for a quite sometime now. I thought of making it for this months theme,
but could not. Your dish looks absolutely delicious.
Thanks, Sushma.
Cant take my eyes of this yummy biryani.. It is looking so so good… Definitely trying this out!!
Thanks Sharmi. Please do try and I am sure you will love it.
This version of biryani looks so colourful Vidya. Even I don’t add paneer while cooking rice as it will become too soft in the process. The presentation is wonderful as usual.
Thanks, much Gayathri. :-)
Hyderabad and Lucknow are the Biryani hubs and I love both Hyderabadi and Lucknowi Biryanis , it’s hard to decide which one is better .
This Lucknowi Biryani is surely attracting me , it looks super delicious and I am definitely bookmarking it !
I agree with you. I love both the biryanis… Hard to pick one.