Mung (moong) Bean Biryani

Ingredients
1 cup mung beans, washed and soaked overnight
2-3 large onions, chopped fine
1/2 cup yougurt
3 cloves garlic; minced
2 inch ginger; grated
3-4 green chillies; minced
8 small potatoes, peeled
21/2 cups basamati rice; washed and soaked in water
6 large tomatoes; blanched, peeled and chopped
1 tblspn tomato puree
1 heaped tspn cumin seeds
3-4 cloves,
2 sticks cinamon
6-8 peppercorns
3 cardomom pods
1/2 tspn saffron
1 teaspn garam masala

for tarka
1 tspn cumin
for topping
1/2 tspn saffron soaked in some warm water


Method
1. Boil the moong beans.
2. Fry the potatoes in hot oil , so that they are golden brown (par cooked)
3. Heat some oil in a large pan, fry the whole masala; cumin, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, and cardomom, fry until they pop and splutter, add the onions
2. Fry the onions until brown


Add the tomatoes, garlic, ginger, chilli and tomato puree, fry for 5-8 minutes
Add the yougurt and the saffron, cook for a further 2 minutes
Add the mung beans with a 1 cup of the water they were boiled in
Add the potaotes and cook for 5-6 minutes


Meanwhile parboil the rice in 5 cups of water for 10 minutes, drain and add half the rice to a large oven proof container.
Add the moong/potato/tomato mixture
Top with the other half of the rice
Fry the cumin in the oil

Pour the oil and cumin mixture on the rice
Pour the saffron and water mixture on the rice

Cove the rice, and place in the oven at 150 Centigrate for 45 minute
Serve with cuchumber (tomato and onion salad) recipe to follow