• Add the cinnamon stick and cardamom to the rice, season with salt and cook as per packet instructions until half cooked. Drain the water, add a sprinkle of egg yellow food colouring, cover and set aside.
• Steam potatoes until almost cooked. Season with salt, shallow fry in a little oil and set aside
• Fry one onion until golden brown and crisp and set aside

Cooking the Vegetable

• Heat one tablespoon oil and one tablespoon butter. Add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cardamom, star aniseed and cloves. Fry until fragrant
• Add the curry leaf, chilli, thyme and onion and sauté until the onion is translucent
• Add the ginger/garlic paste and sauté for a minute
• Add the chilli powder, turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground soomph/fennel, garam masala and fry for another minute. Add the vegetable and herbs and allow it to fry with the spices and herbs for 2 minutes
• Allow this to sauté for 5 minutes on low heat
• Add half cup water, add the grated tomato, season with salt and allow it to simmer on a low heat for about half an hour or until vegetables are tender

Layering the Biryani

• Once the vegetable is cooked, remove half a portion from the pot and leave half in the pot
• Fluff the rice with a fork and spread half the rice on top of the vegetable together with half the potatoes and half the fried onion
• Add the other half of the vegetable on top of the rice together with the remaining potatoes
• Sprinkle half a cup of water over the Biryani
• Place the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter on top and sprinkle the remaining onion over the rice
• Cover the pot, ensure it's sealed properly. Finish cooking the BIryani in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees celcius for 30-45 minutes or until the rice and potatoes are tender. You can fluff the rice in between cooking time to prevent the rice from drying out and spray some water along the edges of the pot