I was trying to loose weight….
I saw Biryani….
Biryani saw me….
Biryani disappeared! -Ayaz Khan
Who does not like Biryani? We love Biryani and I make it for Sunday lunch at least once a month if not twice. I love trying out different ways and methods to make biryani- whatever the end result may be, it’s heaven on a plate at the end of it all. After CAKES, my next biggest collection of recipes is BIRYANI.
Papad, raita, a mint chutney, sweet and sour brinjal and of course a boiled egg- these are just a few of the very basic accompaniments for a good plate of biryani.
This time it’s a mushroom biryani with a little bit of corn thrown in. This is one of my favourite recipes for a vegetarian biryani, the flavour and aroma is awesome and it always come out so well. Everything just fits in so well together- the spice, the chilly, it’s light and above all it’s so tasty. Once you have all the ingredients ready, it’s simple and easy.
So here goes another of my favourites:
Ingredients:
- Mushroom-2 packets ( cleaned and cut lengthwise) 400grams
- Corn kernels – 100gms
- Onions sliced -3
- Tomato sliced -2
Paste 1
- Ginger- garlic paste -2 tbsp
- Green chillies-5
Paste 2
- Saunf – 2 tbsp
- Cashewnuts – 10-12
To chop:
- Mint and coriander leaves – 3 tbsp each
- Garam masala -1 tsp
For the Rice:
- Basmati rice -2 cups
- Cloves, cinnamon, cardamom – 4 each
- Ginger- garlic- greenchilli paste -2 tbsp
- Tomato- 1 big sliced
- Onion-2 big sliced
- Hot water – 4 cups
- Ghee
Method:
- Boil the mushrooms in a little salted water and drain.
- In a little ghee, fry the sliced onions till golden brown.
- Add the pastes and fry for a couple of minutes till the raw smell disappears.
- Add the sliced tomato, mint and coriander leaves, garam masala, the corn kernels, salt and the cooked mushrooms. Stir well. Cover and cook on a medium flame for 5-10 minutes.
- Remove and keep aside.
For the Rice:
- Clean,wash and soak rice for 20 minutes. Drain.
- In a little ghee, add the whole spices and fry till fragrant.
- Add the sliced onion and fry till colour changes.
- Add the ginger- garlic- green chilli paste and fry for a couple of minutes.
- Add the sliced tomato and blend well .
- Add 4 cups of boiling water along with salt and stir.
- Once the water begins to boil, add the rice and mix gently.
- When the water is nearly absorbed by the rice, switch off the flame and keep it covered for 10-15 minutes.
- In an ovenproof/nonstickdish, spread a little ghee at the bottom and layer the rice and mushroom mixture alternately, starting and ending with rice .
- It could vary from 2 to 3 layers.
- In between the layers sprinkle some minced coriander and mint leaves and saffron dissolved in hot milk.( optional)
- Place the dish in an oven at 180 deg.c for 15-20 minutes or you could even place the nonstick dish on top of a griddle pan for a couple of minutes.
- Sprinkle with chopped mint and coriander leaves and serve with a raita of your choice.
Chefs tips:
- For a good Biryani, always use good quality Basmati rice, wash the rice a couple of times and soak the rice for the time mentioned above.
- Do not handle the rice too often, stir gently or the long rice grains could break or split.
- The corn kernels are partially cooked so they do not have to be boiled separately.
- I always use a mixture of ghee and oil to make Biryani.
- Instead of mushroom and corn, you can take mixed vegetables, ( broccoli,cauliflower, carrots, peas etc) but stick to the same weight, that is 500 grams.
- This serves 4-6.
Till my next post,
Cheers
Rose
Awesome recipe!! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yummy!
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