Mushroom Biriyani

Mushrooms have always been a favourite in our family.I had a packet of mushrooms in my refrigerator and decided to try and make a quick biriyani. The main highlight of this biriyani is that it is free from ghee / butter and is made with only 1 tbsp olive oil. The ingredients are very similar to a normal biriyani. Though the process may seem lengthy, but as you start making it I assure you that you will find it easy. The experiment turned out to be successful and my kids enjoyed it. Since it was a hit I decided to blog it. Do try it and give me your valuable feedback. Those who do not prefer mushrooms can replace them with paneer or gobi. Details given in the notes section.

Mushrooms are said to be rich in Vitamin D. They are low in calories and sodium. They are said to be gluten, fat and cholesterol free. 

Ingredients

Servings - 4

Biriyani Rice (uncooked) - 1 cup

Whole Garam Masala- 4 cloves, 1" cinnamon , cardamom - 2

Salt - to taste

For the Masala:

Fresh Button Mushrooms - 1 packet (chopped into 4 and blanched)

Peas ( I used frozen) -  parboiled 1/4 cup

Capsicum (green) - 1/2 piece chopped

Onions - 6 small sized sliced

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Whisked Youghurt - 1/2  cup

Tomato - 1 chopped

Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tsp

Kashmiri chilli powder - 2 1/2  tsp 

Haldi powder - 1/4 tsp

Garam masala powder - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Olive oil - 1 tbsp

For Garnish:

Cashew nuts - 6 nos roasted

Raisins - 6 nos roasted

Mint leaves - 1 handful chopped

Coriander leaves - 1 handful chopped

Saffron  - a pinch 

Warm milk - 1/4 cup

Method :

For the rice:

• Soak rice in warm water for 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes half cook the soaked rice with the whole garam masalas and salt.
• Drain and keep aside.
• Mix saffron in warm milk and keep it aside.
• Dry roast cashews and raisins on a tawa and keep aside.

For the masala: 

• Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil, add the ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell disappears.
• Then add the onions and fry till golden brown. You can add a tinge of salt, this will brown the onions quickly.
• Keep aside 2 tbsp of fried onions for the final garnish.
•  After the onions are fried, add the parboiled peas and the blanched mushrooms and mix well. 
• Cover and cook for a minute. Reduce flame to medium.
• Now add the whisked yogurt, coriander, haldi, garam masala and chilli powder and fry till all the veggies are well coated with the masala.
• Add the chopped tomatoes and check for salt and cook till tomatoes become soft.
• The rice has salt so care should be taken to adjust the quantity of salt  accordingly.
• Finally add capsicum and mix for a few seconds. Switch off flame and start layering.

For the Layers:

• Take a thick bottomed vessel. Grease well with few drops of olive oil.
• First spread a thick layer of rice at the bottom.
• Spread a layer of masala, some pudina and coriander leaves over the first layer. 
• Keep alternating rice and masala layers till you finish the masala.
• Once the masala is over, top it up with a final layer of rice, leftover pudina & coriander leaves and fried onions.
• Pour the saffron milk over the rice and keep on dum for 15 minutes.

For the Dum:

• Take a heavy bottomed tawa. I have used a cast iron tawa.
• Seal the biriyani pot tightly with aluminium foil or atta.
• Keep the pot on the tawa on very low flame for 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, switch off flame and keep covered.
• Open just before serving and mix lightly.
• The grains will break and stick together if you mix excessively.
• Garnish with roasted cashews and raisins.
• Serve hot with raita of your choice.

Note:

• If you do not prefer mushrooms you can use paneer or gobi.
• When using paneer,tawa fry the paneer pieces and add them in the end along with the capsicum.
• If you are using gobi,first parboil it and marinate it with the whisked yogurt and powders for 15 mins. Then add this to the masala along with the peas. You can omit the cover and cook step here.
• Whisking the yogurt before use is VERY important else it will curdle and spoil the taste of the biriyani

Happy Cooking!!