South Indian Style Mushroom Biriyani

Mushroom Biriyani is my dad’s trademark recipe. Everyone loves it. This is a party favorite. The whole house starts smelling festive when you start making this Biriyani. Its a very flavorful dish. I used seeraga samba rice for this recipe. Basmati rice can be substituted if you cannot source seeraga samba rice. Seeraga samba is a very aromatic rice. The grain of the rice is very tiny and it gets its name for its resemblance to Cumin seeds, also called as Seeragam/Jeera in Tamil. I have written more about seeraga samba rice here.

Prep work:
We need to make three pastes. Ginger garlic ( 1 pod garlic and 2 inch ginger piece) , 1 medium size Onion and 4 Tomatoes. Grind everything separately in a mixie and set aside.

Here are the aromatics you will need for the magic.

Heat oil and ghee in a pan on low flame. Add in all of the aromatics at once. Saute till the cashew-nuts are nice and golden.

Once the cashew-nuts are nice and golden, Add in 2 cups of onions. Saute in low flame for 10 minutes. Low and slow is the key here. Onions should have gotten roasted and brown by this time.

Once the onions are roasted, add in the onion paste. Fry in medium flame for 3-4 minutes until the oil starts separating from the mixture. Then add the ginger garlic paste. Fry in medium flame for 3-4 minutes until the oil starts separating from the mixture. Do not rush. The raw smell of ginger and garlic should completely go away. Keep frying so it does not scorch at the bottom.

Add in the tomato paste, green chillies (use more if you want it spicy) , and the salt. Cook the tomatoes until they are juiced down and dry. Little streaks of oil will start coming out from the tomato mixture. Keep frying until u see the oil. It will take about a good 10 minutes. Again, do not rush.

Coarsely chop quarter cup each of coriander leaves and mint leaves. Add it to the pan.

Add the washed, cleaned and diced mushrooms. Mix everything to combine. Cover the pan with a lid and let the mushrooms cook in low flame for 5 minutes. Stir every couple of minutes so the mixture does not scorch at the bottom.

Wash and soak 1 cup-250 ml rice for 20-30 minutes in water. Drain. Soaking rice helps in even cooking and to hold the rice separately when cooking without becoming mushy. Add in the soaked rice to the mushroom mixture. Saute for a couple of minutes so the masala coats to the rice.

Add in 2 cups of water. Let it come to a roaring boil. Once it boils, cover it with a lid and let it cook in low flame for 10-12 minutes. Stir once in between. After 10 minutes, remove off heat and let it sit on the counter for 20 minutes for the rice to get swollen. After 20 minutes, gently fluff and serve hot.

South Indian Style Mushroom Biriyani

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 15 mins

 

South Indian Tamilnadu style Spicy Mushroom biriyani / Kalan masala biryani recipe. Made with seeraga samba rice.

Author: Kannamma – Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Biriyani / Rice Dishes

Cuisine: South Indian

Serves: 3

Ingredients

Prep work:

• First Paste – 1 pod Garlic and 2 inch Ginger piece
• Second Paste – 1 medium size Onion
• Third Paste – 4 Tomatoes

The Aromatics

• 3 tablespoon Cashewnut
• 2 sticks Cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon Fennel Seeds
• 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 2 Cardamom
• 1 small piece Mace
• 2 Cloves
• 1 Star Anise

Other Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon Oil
• 2 tablespoon Ghee
• 2 Onions, sliced
• 1½ teaspoon salt
• 3-4 green chillies
• ¼ cup coriander leaves
• ¼ cup mint leaves
• 1 cup -250 ml Seeraga Samba Rice or Basmati Rice
• 2 cups Mushrooms
• 2 cups Water

Instructions

1. We need to make three pastes. Ginger garlic ( 1 pod garlic and 2 inch ginger piece) , 1 medium size Onion and 4 Tomatoes. Grind everything separately in a mixie and set aside.
2. Heat oil and ghee in a pan on low flame. Add in all of the ingredients labeled under aromatics at once. Saute till the cashew-nuts are nice and golden.
3. Once the cashew-nuts are nice and golden, Add in 2 cups of onions. Saute in low flame for 10 minutes. Low and slow is the key here.
4. Once the onions are roasted, add in the onion paste. Fry in medium flame for 3-4 minutes until the oil starts separating from the mixture. Then add the ginger garlic paste. Fry in medium flame for 3-4 minutes until the oil starts separating from the mixture. Do not rush. The raw smell of ginger and garlic should completely go away. Keep frying so it does not scorch at the bottom.
5. Add in the tomato paste, green chillies (use more if you want it spicy) , and the salt. Cook the tomatoes until they are juiced down and dry. Little streaks of oil will start coming out from the tomato mixture. Keep frying until u see the oil. It will take about a good 10 minutes. Again, do not rush.
6. Coarsely chop quarter cup each of coriander leaves and mint leaves. Add it to the pan.
7. Add the washed, cleaned and diced mushrooms. Mix everything to combine. Cover the pan with a lid and let the mushrooms cook in low flame for 5 minutes. Stir every couple of minutes so the mixture does not scorch at the bottom.
8. Wash and soak 1 cup-250 ml rice for 20 minutes in water. Drain. Add in the soaked rice to the mushroom mixture. Saute for a couple of minutes so the masala coats to the rice.
9. Add in 2 cups of water. Let it come to a roaring boil. Once it boils, cover it with a lid and let it cook in low flame for 10-12 minutes. Stir once in between. After 10 minutes, remove off heat and let it sit on the counter for 20 minutes for the rice to get swollen. After 20 minutes, gently fluff and serve hot.

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