With all that talk of non vegetarian biryanis yesterday, I simply had to share the Mushroom Biryani I tried a couple of weekends back. I usually follow a pretty standard recipe when I make biryani but I opted to make this one a bit more spicy and tomato-ey than usual. We loved it and I am making some more for a potluck tomorrow.
Mushroom Biryani
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked basmati rice
1 cup chopped button mushrooms
1 large onion, sliced long
2 large tomatoes, pureed
1 tsp tomato paste (or tomato ketchup)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder (or to taste)
1 tsp garam masala / biryani masala
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp butter / ghee (or another tbsp of oil)
Salt to taste
To Grind Together:
1 onion
5 green chillies
1" piece of ginger
4-5 garlic cloves
1" piece of cinnamon
3 cloves
3 cardamom pods
A few stalks of coriander leaves (optional)
For Garnish:
1 large onion, sliced long and fried golden brown
A handful of tasted cashewnuts
Chopped coriander leaves
How I Made It:
1. Heat oil and ghee and throw in the onions. When they are golden brown, add the ground masala paste. Don't worry if some of the spices are not ground fine. Mix well until nicely fried, for about 2-3 mins. Then add the chopped mushrooms.
2. The mushrooms will give out some water, so cook until the mushrooms are soft and the water has all evaporated. Then add the chilli powder, turmeric, garam / biryani masala and fry for a minute. After this, add the pureed tomato and tomato paste / ketchup. Stir well and cook well until all the ingredients come together. No need to add water at any stage. Add salt.
3. Gently mix in the cooked basmati rice and garnish with the fried onions, cashewnuts and coriander leaves.
Serve hot with raita.