Biryani is popular across the world and can make your mouth water just thinking about it. Biryani was brought to India by Mughal travelers through the Khyber pass. Some cities such as Hyderabad and Lucknow/ Awadh are known for their Biryani. Biryani is a meat based dish but has a vegetarian counterpart too.

Mushroom Biryani has a meaty taste and texture compared to a vegetarian biryani. Biryani should always be cooked on steam. My recipe is very simple and easy and also much quicker than the way I usually make biryani. Yet it uses all the essential elements – basmati rice, aromatic spices, ghee and saffron that make a Biryani an exotic rice dish.

I used white mushrooms here because that is all I could get. But you can use any combination of mushrooms like portobello, shitake and button mushrooms. These could give a more intense flavor.

It might seem like there are a lot of steps here, but they are worth it, trust me.

Ingredients

For the Rice

2 cups Basmati Rice

4 cloves

3 cardamom pods

1-2 inch sticks cinnamon

1  bay leaf

1 Tbsp ghee

For the base

2-3 cups chopped or halved mushrooms

1 cup plain yogurt

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or paprika

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

3 cups finely slivered onions

2 Tbsp oil

1 Tbsp ghee

For the garnish

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

pinch of saffron strands

pinch of yellow color

1/8 tsp Kevra essence

cashew halves or pieces

raisins

2 Tbsp ghee

Fried onions ( not French’s)

Method

1. Wash the Basmati rice and drain all water.

2. Add oil and ghee to a pot and add the whole spices – cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaf. As soon as they become aromatic and split, add the rice and lightly stir to mix.

3. Add 3 cups of water and salt to taste. Generally we add 2 cups of water for 1 cup of rice, but we want to partially cook this, so 3 cups is enough. Now pressure cook for 1 whistle only, or bring to a boil and simmer until liquid is absorbed. Cover and let it fluff up more under steam.

4. Marinate the mushrooms. For this – add yogurt and powdered spices to a bowl. Add mint leaves and chopped mushrooms. Mix well and set aside. I only halve the mushrooms since I am using button mushrooms. You can choose any shape. Just remember that mushrooms reduce in size a lot.

5. Take warm milk and water in a glass. Add a pinch or two of saffron strands and let them soak. Add some food color and Kevra essence. Rub the saffron between your fingers to extract their color and flavor.

6. Add 1 Tbsp oil and 1 Tbsp ghee to a thick bottom pan. I am using my Calphalon Stainless saute pan which is great for this dish. Add the slivered onions and fry them until golden brown.

7. Once the onions brown and reduce, add the marinated mushrooms. Stir and cover to cook. There is no need to cook a lot since mushrooms cook very quickly.

8. Fluff the rice with a fork so that the strands separate. Add the rice on top of the mushrooms in the pan. Spread completely and cover the surface with rice. Pat it down so its tight.

9. Add the saffron/milk mixture in a zig zag pattern over the rice. This will randomly color the rice giving you a variation in the rice grains. Some of them will be plain white and some will be flavored with saffron.

10. Cover with a tight lid. Reduce the flame to lowest and steam for 15 minutes or until the fragrance of the biryani wafts all over.

11. Uncover and garnish with more fried crispy onions and fried cashews and raisins.

12. While serving, scoop the rice vertically so that you take a portion from the top to the bottom like a lasagna. This will give you both rice and the vegetable mixture.

13. Serve with more ghee on top and a yogurt based raita.

A Biryani can have many such layers depending on the quantity and size of the pot. This is the simple home version but will still yield 4-6 hearty servings.

I hope you try this out this recipe for Mushroom Biryani. Yes, it is a bit time consuming but its the real deal!