How to make mushroom biryani | Recipe for mushroom biryani

Last updated on March 5th, 2021 at 05:51 am

How to make mushroom biryani with this Totally effortless, yet extra delicious Restaurant style mushroom biryani recipe. This is a one-pot, pressure cooker Briyani made in south indian style. When you’re too bored to cook up a storm but are craving for something good and wholesome.

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I’m not a big fan of mushrooms and there’s a funny story behind it. When I was in school I associated mushrooms with the bad fungi after my teacher repeatedly brought up mushrooms as an example while teaching about fungi. And, my mom associated it with meat for some reason so I saw less and less mushrooms on my plate, until I started cooking for Sanju.

He loves mushrooms and with the protein content of it, we try to add mushrooms frequently. Not that we don’t eat desserts to compensate that! I still don’t care for mushrooms but I love the flavor it brings out in mushroom briyanis and mushroom gravies.

We like to drop by Annapoorna now and then for the simple South style mushroom Briyani. Sadly though, the last time we visited it was off the menu. Hyderabadi mushroom Briyani had replaced the Briyani we liked. What a world! Very few appreciate small grain briyanis.

So I decided to take matter into my hands and asked for a recipe to a chef my husband knows. It turned out like Restaurant style Briyani but it was one of those briyanis made with a Briyani masala powder. I’m not a fan of that style of Briyani; I am more inclined to wet paste masalas as base.

Kongunadu style mushroom Briyani:

I tweaked around the regular biryani recipe which I use for vegetable Briyani and the mushroom biryani I used to make. After gathering some tips from a few smarty pant cooks and after a few trials and errors, I got it close to the one we have at Annapoorna.

One of the spices kalpasi is crucial for this Briyani. I use fresh button mushrooms to make this recipe for mushroom biryani. However, you can use oyster or any type of mushrooms you like.

For this particular Briyani, I prefer and love seeragasamba rice. If you’re like my friends, who are diehard fans of basmati, you could go for it. However, I suggest seeragasamba rice for South-style briyani. It has a unique aroma and flavor.

I like to use a combination of Groundnut oil and ghee for all the South Indian biryanis. Once I followed a recipe for ambur Briyani which called for peanut oil; I then tried it for other briyanis and haven’t gone back since. Sesame oil adds bitterness, coconut oil adds too much coconut flavor, whereas pure unrefined groundnut oil adds just a bit of sweetness. Now, let’s see how to make mushroom biryani the easy way.

How to make mushroom biryani

Wash and clean the mushrooms. Chop them into half. If the mushrooms are big, quarter them. Ideally you’re looking for 2-inch pieces.

Chop the onions into fine juliennes. Chop the green chillies and tomatoes into small pieces.

Heat groundnut oil and ghee in a pressure cooker, till it begins to smoke. Crush the kalpasi into the oil and add the rest of the spices as is. Let them splutter; quickly add onions. Saute the onions until translucent and soft.

Add the green chillies and sauté for few minutes. Drop the ginger garlic paste and mix it around to avoid them sticking to the bottom.

Now add the tomatoes and rock salt. The salt will bring out moisture from the ingredients. Sauté till tomatoes turn mushy. Add the spice powders: chilli powder and garam masala powder. Give a quick mix.

Chop some mint and coriander leaves and add a handful of it to the masala. It is now time to add the mushrooms. As you sauté, the mushrooms let out a considerable amount of water. This would equal a half a cup of water, so you can reduce this amount when you pour in water for the rice.

Let the masala and mushrooms simmer for 5 mins. Add 2 cups of seeragasamba rice and mix. Pour about 3.5 cups of water. Normally you’d be adding 4 cups, but since we already have water from mushrooms we don’t need extra water.

Close the lid of the pressure cooker. Wait till steam comes out through the nozzle, add the weight. I cooked it for 5 minutes or for about 2 whistles. The whistles depend on your cooker.

Finally, after you open, carefully give it a mix. Serve it with raita.

Recipe adapted from homecooks.

Note:

• If the mushrooms don’t let out water, use 4 cups of water for 2 cups of rice. Ideally, salt should bring out the water from any fresh mushrooms.
• Use any unflavored oil in place of Groundnut oil if you find the latter too flavorful. Although in my opinion, it grows on you.

More interesting recipes:

• Check out this onion chutney which is pretty much like an Uber delicious onion jam

• Try these blondies for a break from brownies. Goes really well with ice cream and divine just on it’s own.

If you enjoyed the recipe, comment below. Did you make this recipe? Tag me @gingerskillet on Instagram 🙂