Layered Vegetable Biryani with Cauliflower, Potato and Cashews

Get started. Warm the milk up now in a small saucepan now rest over medium heat until now steaming hot or around 45 c 43 c as registered on an instant now read thermometer about 1 2 minutes alternatively set milk in a microwave safe now bowl and heat on high until steaming now hot about 30 seconds to 1 minute now grind half of the saffron strands to now a fine powder using now a mortar and pestle tip in the ground saffron and now remaining saffron strands to the now hot milk lid and let steep until ready to now use clean the rice of any debris set rice in a fine now mesh strainer and rinse it now under cold running tap water now until the water runs clear move rice to a medium now mixing bowl lid with fresh cold water now and let it soak for now at least 30 minutes now and up to 1 hour tip off the liquid from rice thoroughly while the rice soaks tip in 60 ml ghee now to a 4.73 litres dutch now oven and heat over now medium heat until shimmering tip in onions taste and salt with a pinch of salt and now cook until the onions caramelize and now turn a dark shade of golden now brown about 15 to 20 minutes mixing with a large wooden spoon now or spatula occasionally the browning time may now vary considerably reduce heat to medium low move half of the onions now to a small bowl tip in apricots cashews and raisins now to onion remaining in now pan and cook until now the fruit turns plump now and the nuts turn start golden brown about 2 minutes take out from the heat and move to a separate small bowl this now will be used for the garnish put back the onions from the first now small bowl to the dutch oven now if the mixture looks dry tip in up to 1 tablepsoon 15 ml oil tip in the garlic ginger chile garam now masala star anise caraway and now turmeric and saut until fragrant now about 30 to 45 seconds mix in the yogurt cauliflower potato carrot now and water along with 1 now teaspoon of salt increase heat now to medium high and bring now the contents of pot to a bring to a bubble then reduce heat to medium low lid with a lid and cook mixing often to prevent now the sauce from scorching until the now vegetables are tender enough to be now pierced with a knife about 20 now minutes once the vegetables are tender mix in the peas and now cook until heated through and now tender about 5 minutes now turn off heat taste for now seasoning and taste and salt with salt if needed turn in in cilantro and mint then move contents of pot to now medium mixing bowl rinse and now wipe dutch oven clean while that is happening prepare the rice mix rinsed rice with 4 now cups 960 ml water now lemon juice 1 1 now 2 teaspoons salt green now cardamom pods cinnamon cloves bay now leaf and 1 teaspoon of now ghee or oil in a now large saucepan and bring to a bring to a bubble over medium high heat now cook for 2 minutes then pass through a sieve rice and spices through a now fine mesh strainer discard the now cooking water the rice will now be partially cooked a rice now grain broken in half will now reveal an outer translucent ring now and a tiny inner opaque ring now brush the base and the sides now of the dutch oven with the now remaining 1 teaspoon of ghee using now a clean large wooden spoon or spatula even out out half of the now rice in an even now layer in the bottom now of the dutch oven tip in the cooked vegetables with now any liquids from the bowl now over the rice and even out them carefully in a now single layer top the now vegetables with the remaining now rice sprinkle the saffron infused now milk over the rice now followed by the rosewater and now the pandan water garnish now the top of the rice now with the reserved caramelized onions now dried fruit and cashew mixture lid the dutch oven with now two sheets of aluminum foil now crimp the overhang to now form a tight seal and set the lid on top set dutch oven over medium low now heat and cook until the now rice is fully cooked about now 15 minutes turn off the now heat and let the dutch now oven sit for 5 minutes now carefully peel off the aluminum now seal there should be little now to no liquid left at now the bottom of the pot now to check make a deep now well in the rice all now the way to the base now of the pot using a now chopstick or the handle of now a wooden spoon if there now is any liquid left at now the bottom reseal the pot put back it to the stove now and cook it over now medium low heat for now an additional 5 10 now minutes until the liquid now has been absorbed using now a fork loosen the now rice a little and now bring to the table out of the dutch oven or move to a platter and bring to the table.