Mushroom Briyani | Indian Rice Recipes

Mushroom is another one of my favorite vegetables and I don't fail to pick up a packet when I go to the store. In fact, my blog also has quite a few mushroom recipes. It is most versatile and can be used in omelets, frittatas, casseroles, curries, pizza topping and in briyanis.  This is a basic briyani recipe with a simple spice paste which can be used for vegetable or chicken biryani as well.

Ingredients:
Serves - 2
Brown Basmati Rice / White Basmati Rice - 1 cup (1 1/2 in rice cooker cup)
Mushroom - 5 oz / 150g
Onion - 1 cup - thinly sliced
Ginger garlic paste - 1 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Mint leaves - a few
Make a paste:
Green chilli - 2 or 3
Cinnamon - 1" piece
Cloves - 3
Fennel seeds - 3/4 tsp
Khas khas / White poppy seeds - 1/2 tsp
Grated Coconut - 1 tbsp heaped

Method:
Clean the mushrooms and slice into thick pieces. Wash and soak the rice for 30 minutes in plenty of water. Make a smooth paste of the ingredients under "make a paste". Heat oil in a heavy pan or pressure cooker and saute the onions until light brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for 2 minutes in medium heat. Add the ground paste and saute until the raw smell disappears, about 4-5 minutes in medium heat. Add the mushroom, drained rice, mint leaves, salt and water. Add 1-1/2 cups for brown basmati rice. Cover and pressure cook until done. Serve with raitha or any curry of your choice.
Notes:
1. If using white rice, use a little shy of 2 cups water and cook for 2-3 whistles.
2. For brown rice, cook for 5-6 whistles in pressure cooker.