This is a mild, flavorful mushroom pulao made with white button mushrooms, basmati rice, thick coconut milk, aromatics and herbs. It makes for an easy and quick lunch or dinner.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 25 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Goan

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 1.5 cups basmati rice (– you can use any type of long grained rice)
  • 200 to 250 grams white button mushrooms, (sliced or chopped)
  • 85 grams onion (or 1 medium size onion, thinly sliced or finely chopped, about ⅓ to ½ cup sliced or chopped onions)
  • 1 tomato (- medium-sized or ⅓ cup chopped tomatoes)
  • 1 potato (- medium-sized, peeled & cubed, optional)
  • 1 to 2 green chilies (- chopped)
  • ½ tablespoon ginger garlic paste (or 1 inch ginger + 6 to 7 garlic, crushed in mortar-pestle)
  • 1 cup Coconut Milk (Thick)
  • 1.5 to 1.75 cups water (or add a total of of 2.5 to 2.75 cups water minus the coconut milk. Check point 1 below in the notes.)
  • salt (or sea salt as required)
  • 1 tej patta ((Indian bay leaf))
  • 1 to 1.5 inches cinnamon
  • 3 green cardamoms
  • 4 to 5 cloves
  • 6 to 7 black peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (, optional)

Method

Preparation

  1. Clean, wash and soak the rice for 20 to 30 minutes.
  2. When the rice is getting soaked, chop all the veggies. Rinse and chop the mushrooms too.
  3. Take all the whole garam masala and keep it aside.
  4. After 20 to 30 minutes drain all the water from the rice. Set the soaked rice aside.

Making mushroom pulao

  1. In a pressure cooker, heat oil. Add the whole garam masala including cumin, and fry till they become fragrant. About few seconds.
  2. Add the onions and fry them stirring often till they become light golden.
  3. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for a few seconds or till the raw smell of the paste disappears.
  4. Now add the chopped tomatoes, potatoes and mushrooms. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes till the mushrooms are half cooked on low to medium heat. Keep on stirring in between.
  5. Add the soaked rice and the chopped green chili.
  6. Saute the rice for 1 to 2 minutes stirring in between on a low heat.
  7. Add the coconut milk and water. Stir and season with salt as per taste. Mix very well.
  8. Check the taste of the broth and it should taste slightly salty.
  9. Pressure cook the mushroom pulao for 2 to 3 whistles or for 9 to 10 minutes. If using 3-liter cooker, pressure cook for 2 whistles and for a 2 litre cooker, pressure cook for 3 whistles.
  10. When the pressure settles down on its own, then only remove the lid and gently fluff the rice with a fork.
  11. Garnish with coriander leaves or mint leaves and serve mushroom pulao with sliced onions and lime. You could also have it with onion-tomato raita or any raita of your choice.

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.