Mushroom biryani is a one pot flavorful rice dish made with rice, biryani spices, mushrooms & herbs. It turns out so flavorful & delicious that you don't need any side dish other than a simple raita. Instructions included for stovetop & Instant pot.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 25 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 2 · 2 to 3
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (200 grams) aged basmati rice
  • 2 cups (7 ounces, 200 g) white button mushrooms (sliced thick (use less if you want))
  • ⅓ cup (1 small) onion ((sliced thinly))
  • ¼ cup (1 medium) tomatoes ((optional, deseeded & chopped))
  • 2 tablespoon mint leaves ((pudina) fine chopped)
  • 2 tablespoon coriander leaves ((cilantro) fine chopped (optional))
  • 1 green chili (slit)
  • 1½ teaspoon ginger garlic paste (or crushed)
  • 2 tablespoon Oil (or ghee)
  • ¼ to ⅓ teaspoon red chili powder
  • 3 tablespoons curd ((plain yogurt or coconut milk))
  • ⅓ teaspoon sea salt ((adjust to taste))
  • ⅛ teaspoon turmeric ((optional))
  • ¾ teaspoon garam masala (or biryani masala (read notes to make your own))
  • 1 bay leaf ((tej patta))
  • 1 star anise ((biryani flower))
  • ½ teaspoon shahi jeera ((or cumin seeds))
  • 2 to 3 green cardamoms ((elaichi))
  • 1 cinnamon (- 2 inch piece (dalchini))
  • 3 to 4 cloves ((laung))
  • 2 cups water (to cook in pot)
  • 1¼ cups water (to cook in Instant pot)
  • 1¾ cups water (to cook in stovetop pressure cooker)

Method

  1. Rinse and soak rice until you prepare the vegetables. If you do not have a good masala, make it from my notes below.

How to make Mushroom Biryani

  1. Heat a pan or pressure cooker with oil (sauté mode if using Instant Pot). Stir in the whole spices - bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, star anise and shahi jeera.
  2. When they begin to sizzle, add onions and chilies. Saute till golden & stir in the ginger garlic paste. Saute for a minute till the raw smell disappears.
  3. Add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric and salt. Saute until they turn soft & breakdown.
  4. Stir in red chili powder, garam masala, mint and coriander leaves and saute for about a minute (do not burn). Pour yogurt or coconut milk and mix well to deglaze.
  5. Add the mushrooms, saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the water from the rice completely and add the rice here. Stir in the salt and pour water. Taste test to adjust salt.
  6. Instant Pot - Press cancel, followed by PRESSURE COOK button (high pressure) and set the timer to 5 minutes. When it is done, IP will beep. Wait for 5 mins, release the pressure manually by moving the steam valve from sealing to venting.
  7. Stovetop Pressure Cooker: Cook for 1 whistle on a medium flame. Wait for the pressure to drop naturally.
  8. No Cooker - cook in a pot: Bring the water to a rolling boil and reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook until the rice is fully cooked and the moisture is absorbed.
  9. Cool down the mushroom biryani for 4 to 5 mins and fluff up gently with a fork. Garnish with coriander leaves & sprinkle lemon juice if you want. Serve mushroom biryani with a raita.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.