Instant Pot Mushroom Rice | Mushroom Coconut Milk Biryani

Last updated on September 20th, 2023 at 05:58 am

Instant Pot Mushroom Rice recipe with step-by-step photos. This mushroom rice is a flavorful vegetarian main course that is enriched with Coconut Milk. A very easy dish and comes together in Instant Pot in under 30 minutes!

Be sure to check my Mushroom Pepper Fry recipe next!

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The last couple of weeks have been a bit hard for me to get things done. It is so hard to get any work done during the months of December and January. First the holidays and New Year's; followed by Pongal Festival (a south Indian thanksgiving). And then a couple of birthdays in our family. It is gonna be a few weeks before I could settle down, but overall a good couple of months.

So this week we decided to stay home for the weekend. And like I've mentioned before in my Instant Pot Chicken Briyani Post, I make a lot of one-pot meals when I'm getting back to my schedule. This week I made this Instant Pot Mushroom Rice and the meal was fulfilling!

Instant Pot Mushroom Pilaf:

I love this Mushroom Rice /Mushroom Briyani because, you know, one-pot meals are so flavorful and delicious. Especially when it is a biryani or a pilaf there is no doubt. BUT what makes this a really special mushroom rice, is the addition of coconut milk.

Coconut milk as such is a rich, creamy and nutritious milk and that when added to the wonderful flavor of mushrooms, it gives a smooth and creamy flavor, not to mention mildly sweet rice dish.

Nutrition details:

There has been a wide misconception that coconut is not healthy. And that coconut oil was the worst. I think this idea of coconut products lasted for almost a decade and then came the results of a couple of studies (which we can be sure would go back and forth throughout the years to come), citing that the fat in coconut is actually good.

There have always been coconuts around in South India, and of course, Thailand and Sri Lanka love coconuts as well. We aren't all as unhealthy as we are supposed to based on the previous studies. Anyway, now that there are fewer negative images of coconuts' nutrition, I cannot wait to share this Mushroom Coconut Milk Rice recipe with you.

This Instant Pot Mushroom Rice has 470 calories per serving, with a considerable amount of fat from the coconut milk, yes, but with a good amount of protein from the mushrooms. And the great part is that you can add more mushrooms if you like and it would just add to the taste of this dish. So with the fat content and the lack of lactose, this mushroom rice is both paleo and keto approved!

Why make this rice in an Instant Pot?

Personally, I LOVE cooking with my Instant Pot. If you already have an instant pot, this is a great rice recipe for you try in your Instant Pot. It takes up only 10 minutes in Instant Pot, the total time would not cross 30 minutes. And the resulting mushroom and rice are always perfect, cooked to the right stage. The only thing you have to do is to use exact measurements of ingredients, especially rice and water measurements.

Cooking this rice without an Instant Pot:

If you don't have an Instant pot or your Instant pot is already cooking up a curry or soup, you can make this Mushroom Rice in regular Pressure Cooker. But this is recipe is not a stovetop or a dutch oven type recipe. It needs a pressure cooker or an Instant Pot. Simply use 1:1.5 ratio of rice to water and cook for 3 whistles in a pressure cooker.

Coconut milk:

There are several ways you can use coconut milk in this recipe. Based on your convenience and availability of coconut milk you can pick whichever method works for you.

1. Using canned coconut milk: Now, this is the easiest method that there it. You just open the can and use the required amount of coconut milk. (Canned/ tetrapak coconut milk have guar gum or xanthum gum along with preservatives in them. These are added to keep the coconut milk thick because the coconut milk on its own is bound to separate into layers of fat and water. But it doesn't hurt to use it when you have no option to break open a fresh coconut and use it.) If your canned Coconut milk is too thick, mix a quarter part of water with every cup.
2. Using coconut milk powder: This is the second easiest method. Scoop a cup of coconut powder and mix it with ½ cup of warm water. Thoroughly mix it in and use it. For this recipe, you need 1.5 cups of powder and ¾ cups of water.
3. Using frozen shredded coconut: Measure 250g of shredded coconut and add warm water to it, and blend it in a blender until smooth. Strain using a fine-mesh strainer.
4. Using fresh coconut (my preferred method): Cut out pieces from Coconut Shells, measure 250g of it. Add it to a blender and blend for a minute. Then add water to blend till smooth. Strain in a fine-mesh strainer.

Whatever method you use, don't skip on the coconut milk. The amazing coconut milk flavor in this mushroom rice comes from the generous use of Coconut Milk. Using just water won't give the same results. However, if you like you can try this other type of Mushroom Briyani which doesn't require Coconut Milk.

Serving Suggestions:

This mushroom coconut milk rice is everything you need for a simple meal. You can serve it alongside yogurt, onions, and lemon wedges. If you've guests over and if you want a better meal, you can serve with any starters. For vegetarians, crispy fried baby corn or South Indian style roasted potatoes. For meat lovers, any chicken gravy/curry would go amazing with this mushroom rice along with some crispy fried chicken.

Chicken Seekh Kebab - easy restaurant style kebabs

The most flavorful fritters using Banana Blossoms

How to make Instant Pot South Indian Mushroom Coconut milk Briyani / Pilaf:

Prep work:

• The first thing you should be doing is washing and soaking the rice. Measure 1.5 cups of rice (around 310 g) and put it into a bowl. Fill it with water, mix it around and drain the water. Repeat this until the water runs clear.
• When the water is clear, most of that "sticky" starch is washed off. This will help keep the rice in the pilaf from sticking together.
• Pour some water to cover the rice and let it soak until ready for use.
• Wash and clean the mushrooms. Chop it into 1.5-inch size pieces.
• Pick the herbs, wash and chop them. You would need a handful of cilantro and mint together, which would come to 40g approximately.
• Wash, peel and chop the onions.
• Wash and chop the tomatoes, green chillies.

Cooking the pilaf in instant pot:

1. Place the Instant Pot bowl and set it SAUTE mode for 10 minutes. Add oil and ghee, let it get hot.
2. Add the whole spices: cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and bay leaves. Let the cloves bulge up.
3. Tip in the onions and sauté until it begins to brown.
4. Add the ginger-garlic paste, green chillies. Sauté for about a minute.
5. Then add the tomatoes and salt. Sauté until tomatoes become mushy.
6. Sprinkle the herbs. Add the chilli powder and garam masala powder. Stir once.
7. Transfer the chopped mushrooms and sauté for 2 minutes.
8. Drain the water from the soaked rice, add it to the instant pot.
9. Pour in the coconut milk and water. Give it a good mix.
10. Close the instant pot with its lid. SEAL it and set it to PRESSURE COOK mode for 10 minutes.
11. After 10 minutes, CANCEL keep warm and let it cool down for 5 minutes. Then Quick Release to let the steam out.
12. Mix it gently with a fork and serve it hot with yogurt!

Recipe source: This is a family recipe

Notes:

Made this? Got doubts? Let me know what you think in the comments below!