Making a lentil rice biryani similar to Trader Joe's version?

Question

I love the Trader Joe's Lentil Rice Biryani and I want to learn to make it myself.

How can I make it at home? Does anyone have a decent copy-cat recipe? Does anyone have anything similar?

The ingredients are, as follows:

Basmati rice, water, potatoes, onions, chick peas, tomatoes, cottonseed oil, french green beans, green lentils, cabbage, garlic, ginger, salt, green chilies, mint leaves, cumin, chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, cardamom, clove, cinnamon.

I've tried experimenting on my own but it comes out awful. Any advice? Any good recipes?

Answer 1

Are you cooking all ingredients together? That is the key step. If you cook the veggies and add it to the rice, it won't taste good; it would be more like pilaf.

In what way is it awful? You might wanna cut back on the last three spices as too much of those can ruin any dish.

Answer 2

The ingredient which needs the longest cooking time is the chickpeas, so you would have to start cooking them first, then when they're about half done, add more water, plus the rice, potatoes, beans, cabbage, lentils, salt and tomatoes, stirring occasionally.

In a separate pan, heat the oil, and lightly fry the cumin seeds, chillies, garlic, ginger (fresh, not powder) and onions. When these are ready, add the lot to the other saucepan.

Mix in the remaining spices and mint leaves when the potatoes are nearly cooked. As the other respondent suggested, keep the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon down to an absolute minimum.