Butter Beans Tomato Biryani

Its always fun to pack lunch to kids, but unfortunately here in Paris, i never had a chance to pack foods to my kids. But i pack foods to my H who dont like to have his lunch in his office canteen. However packing foods to kids or husband is definitely challenging when they are pricky eaters. I love beans very much especially when its comes to one pot meal. My pantry will always have varieties of beans and my freezer will also have already soaked, ready to use frozen beans. Obviously if i feel like cooking with beans, i'll just open my freezer, get the packet of my choice of beans and cook with. I'll never forget to prepare presoaked and frozen beans, am doing this method of freezing beans more than three years and now its quite a routine at home.Do follow this method, trust me this method of freezing soaked beans will be very handy if you dont have time to soak beans.

Am running my last week of blogging marathon, i picked Kids Delight - nuts and legumes for lunch box as theme. Legumes are nothing but beans, lentils or pulses.Legumes are excellent source of proteins, its advised to intake legumes often in our diet especially for vegetarians.Legumes are rich in proteins, obviously kids need proteins very much. I love to add beans often in my one pot meal, personally adding legumes in a one pot meal is one of the best way to sneak them. Also kids wont notice the addition of legumes if they are cooked as one pot meal. Coming to this butter beans tomato biryani, you can pack this dish happily in a kid's lunch box with spicy potato fries, papads or simply with boiled eggs. My kids enjoyed thoroughly this delicious, flavourful briyani for their lunch with boiled eggs and cucumber raita.Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#45. 

2cups Basmati rice/Seeraga Samba Rice
1cup Butter beans (cooked)
2nos Onions (sliced thinly)
5nos Tomatoes (chopped finely)
1tbsp Ginger garlic paste
2nos Green chillies (slit opened)
1/2tsp Red chilly powder

1/4tsp Turmeric powder
1/2tsp Cumin powder
1tsp Garam masala powder
1cup Coconut milk
2cups Water
1/2cup Mint leaves (chopped)
2tbsp Ghee
Salt
Oil
2nos Whole spices (bay leaves,cloves, cinnamon stick & cardamoms)

Heat the oil and ghee together, fry the bayleaves, cloves,cinnamon stick and cardamom until they turns brown.

Add immediately the sliced onions,chopped tomatoes, slit opened green chillies,ginger garlic paste and sauté with salt until the veggies get cooked and raw smell goes away.

Meanwhile wash the rice and soak the rice with coconut milk and 2cups of water,keep aside for 15minutes..

Add the cooked butter beans,red chilly powder, turmeric powder,garam masala,cumin powder to the cooking veggies, cook for few minutes.

Drain the soaked rice and add the coconut milk-water,mint leaves to the cooking beans mixture,bring everything to boil.

Finally add the soaked rice,cook in high flame for few minutes, put off the flame in simmer..Cook until the rice gets well cooked..

Put off the stove.

Serve hot with onion raita..