Ingredients
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For parboiled rice
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4 cups Basmati rice(regualr tea cups)
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5 cloves
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3 green cardamom
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2 bay leaf
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as req. salt
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as req. water
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For marinating mushroom
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350 gms White button mushroom
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1 large onion
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1 handful Fried onion
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few pudina leaves
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few coriander leaves
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3/4th tspn turmeric powder
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1 tspn red chilli powder
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2 tspn kashmiri chilli powder
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1 and 1/2 tspn coriander powder
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1/4th tspn Jeera powder
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1/2 tspn Biryani masala powder
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3/4th tspn ghee
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as req. salt
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1 and 1/2 cups beaten (Thick) curd
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2 bay leaf
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1/2 tspn honey
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few Cashews
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few raisin
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For garnishing before setting up dum biryani
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5 drops Kewda water
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1 tspn rose water
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3 drops Kashmiri kesar essence
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few Fried onion
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few pudina leaves
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few coriander leaves
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as req. ghee
Directions
Dhokla and idli may come and go
but the love for biryani will never stop
Out of so many types of biryani, mushroom biryani is a savior for those who are vegetarians yet would like to have a biryani different from the regular veg biryani. It has that beautiful aroma of mushroom throughout the biryani. Let us talk about the ‘biryan’ that evolved centuries ago in Iran.
My daughter loves biryani at this very young age of 3. Of course, who can resist it, right? Without much further explanation, let’s jump to the recipe.
Method:
- Firstly, we need parboiled basmati rice cooked upto 90% by adding bay leaf, cloves, and green cardamom. Strain and set aside.
2. Secondly, we will keep some fried onions ready. Just thinly slice some large onion and deep fry it.
Once a golden brown color is achieved, transfer to a bowl. Do not use burnt onions, or the biryani will taste bitter.
3. Next, we take 350 g of white button mushrooms and remove the skin. Wash it well under running water and drain the excess water.
4. Cut the mushroom in large chunks and also add one large carrot sliced round and thin. You can add more vegetables if you wish, but then it will not taste like how the mushroom biryani actually tastes.
5. In a wide mixing bowl add mushrooms, carrots, 1 large onion thinly sliced, freshly ground ginger-garlic paste, any biryani masala (3/4 tspn—I use Eastern biryani masala), turmeric powder, kashmiri chilli powder, add green chilli if you want it extra spicy. For non-spicy eaters like me, be very careful with adding green chilli and red chilli powder. Add salt, cumin powder, coriander powder and crushed kasuri methi.
6. Add 1 cup of beaten thick curd using a beater. Finely chopped coriander leaves. Along with pudina leaves. Add some fried onions. Bay leaf, cloves, cashew and raisins. 1/2 tspn of lime juice just for aroma. 1/2 tsp honey.
7. Mix it well and gently with your hands (you can use hand gloves if need be). Make sure you don’t break the tender mushrooms.
8. Take 1 to 1 and 1/2 cups of finely chopped Bangalore tomatoes. Heat oil in a comparatively wider pan; before it’s too hot, add in the mixed spices like fennel seeds, star anise, bay leaf, black cardamom, green cardamom, and cinnamon. Add tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook for a few minutes until they are mushy. The wider the pan, the fluffier the biryani will be.
9. Now add in the mushroom mixture into the pan. Let it cook for around 10 – 15 mins with an occasional stir every 5 mins. Adjust the flame depending on the pan you choose. Cover and cook so the flavors don’t escape.
10. Once you see the oil released from the sides, add the parboiled rice. Do not put all the rice at once. Spread it evenly on top of the gravy. Sprinkle fried onions, finely chopped coriander leaves, and pudina leaves. One drop of kewda essence or 5 drops of kewda water. 4 drops of kashmiri kesar essence. 1/4 tspn of non-fragrant rose water. 1 tbsp of ghee melted and poured all around.
11. Cover with an airtight lid, keep a tawa on the bottom of the biryani pot, and simmer on low flame.
15 minutes for dumb should be enough. Do not overcook; cooked rice may tend to dry.
Side dishes for biryani:
Serve with biryani raita (onion, coriander leaf, salt, chaat masala, salt)
Also, if you want to make it more delightful, add some crispy potato fries tossed with chilli powder and salt. The combination feels heavenly.
