wishing everybody a great ganesh chaturthi and also id mubarak.
this time i wanted to post a sweet recipe of saffron suji halwa for the festive season but unfortunately was caught up in some unseen practical issues… life is like this… unexpected and unbelievable…
this mushroom dum biryani post has been in the drafts for some time and i thought its apt to post it for the festive season. though biryani is a traditional muslim recipe and is made during id celebrations, but its popularity is so much that it is cooked in almost all homes and is a favorite of many of us.
the mushroom biryani is made in the traditional way of cooking on dum. more about dum cooking on my hyderabad veg biryani recipe post. this mushroom biryani was different from the ones which i make as this one does not have tomatoes and some indian spice powders.
i have used birista in the mushroom biryani. for the newbies birista is crisp fried onions. the onions are sliced and then fried till golden brown. i have used birista in the layers as well as crushed the fried onions and added them to the gravy. and the birista does add a great deal of flavor, aroma and taste to the biryani.
the biryani also has curd, mint leaves along with the usual indian whole garam masala. vegetables, paneer can also be added instead of mushrooms.
let’s begin step by step recipe of mushroom biryani e dum pukht
firstly wash and clean rice. in a pan cook the rice with the whole garam masala till its ¾th cooked and then keep aside.
ok…. now just a tip…. when you keep the rice to cook on the pan… in the meantime to shorten the entire cooking time.. why not clean, rinse and chop the mushrooms and also slice the onions.
its time know to make the birista. heat oil and add sliced onions.
keep on turning the onions after few minutes to ensure they are evenly fried and browned. fry the onions till golden brown and keep aside.
warm milk or water and add saffron to it.
in the same pan in which you fried the onions, heat ghee and fry the caraway seeds/shah jeera and whole garam masala spices.
add crushed ginger-garlic or ginger-garlic paste.
fry the ginger garlic paste till their raw smell disappears.
add the mushrooms to this mixture and saute for 5 mins.
in the meantime take ¾th of the fried onions reserving the remaining ¼th for garnishing. this ¾th of the birista you crush in a mixie or mortar and pestle.
add this crushed fried onions to the mushrooms.
add chili powder to the mixture and saute for 5 minute.
then add beaten curd to the mushrooms and mix it thoroughly. i forgot to take a pic of this step…. simmer for 4-5 mins. by now the mushrooms are half cooked.
if you see that the gravy is dry than add some water to it. add salt.
let the mushroom gravy simmer for a further 10 mins and lo… your the mushroom gravy is ready.
lets begin with the assembling the layers of the mushroom biryani
the first layer is the layer of the mushroom gravy. take a pan and add some spoonfuls of the mushroom gravy to . spread it evenly.
spread the cooked rice evenly on top of the gravy.
sprinkle the saffron milk on the rice.
add the fried onions/birista and chopped mint leaves.
now again cover with the mushroom gravy… our third layer
and our last layer is the layer of rice again. repeat sprinkling the saffron milk and adding the birista and mint leaves. add some ghee to the last layer.
cover with a lid and keep the assembled biryani to slow cook on dum. seal the edges of the pan and the lid with a dough if the lid is not tight. cook for some 20-25 minutes. and now your mushroom biryani is ready. this is how mushroom biryani looks from outside the pan.
and this is how mushroom biryani looks from inside the pan.
serve the yummy mushroom biryani with raita, onion lime salad and pickle.
you might also love to check these rice dishes:
- mix vegetable pulao
- vegetable yakhni pulao
- south indian mushroom biryani
- restaurant style veg dum biryani
ingredients
- 2 and half cups rice
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 4 cloves
- 2 cinnamon each of 1 inch
- 2 pinch of grated nutmeg
- 5 green cardamoms
- 3-4 mace strands
- 5 cups water
- salt
- 3 large onions sliced
- 4 tbsp oil
- 500 gms mushroom
- 1/2 inch ginger and 2-3 garlic crushed or made into paste in a mortar-pestle
- 1.5 cups beaten curd
- 1 tsp red chili powder or yellow chili powder
- 2 tsp caraway seeds/shah jeera
- 2 cloves
- 4 peppercorn
- 1 cinnamon
- 2 green cardamom
- 2 bay leaves
- 2-3 mace strands
- 3/4th of the birista (crushed)
- 2 tbsp ghee
- salt
- 1/4th of the birista
- 10-12 strands of saffron dissolved in 2 tbsp of warm milk or warm water
- 1/2 cup chopped mint leaves
- 1 tbsp ghee
method:
- pick, clean and wash the rice.
- in a pan add the whole spices, water, rice and salt. cook the rice till its 3/4 th done.
- remove the spices from the rice and keep aside.
- you could also make a bouquet garni with the rice and cook it with the rice.
- slice the onions and shallow fry them in oil till they become golden brown.
- take care not to burn the onions.
- keep aside.
- in the same pan which you fried the onions add ghee. if there is leftover oil in the pan... then add 2 tbsp ghee instead of 3 tbsp to the oil. once the ghee melts add the caraway seeds and all of the whole spices.
- fry for a minute.
- now add the mushrooms and saute for 5 mins.
- add the chili powder and mix it well with the mushroms.
- add 3/4th of the crushed birista and saute it with the mushrooms for a minute.
- now add the beaten curd and mix it with the mushrooms. simmer for 4-5 minutes.
- afterwards add 1/2 cup of water and salt to the mushrooms and simmer for a further 10 mins.
- in a pan pour spoonfuls of the mushroom gravy and spread it evenly. this is your first layer.
- add the second layer of the cooked rice on top of the first layer.
- sprinkle the saffron milk/water.
- also add some birista and chopped mint leaves.
- make the third layer of the mushroom gravy.
- cover it finally with the fourth layer of rice.
- again add the saffron milk and the birista along with chopped mint leaves.
- add some dots of ghee here and there.
- cover the pan and cook on dum for 20-25 minutes on a low flame.
- serve the biryani hot or warm with sliced onions and lemon salad, raita and papad.
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi,
I absolutely love this biryani! I have made it three times already!
Just wanted to point out that you have added ginger and garlic in the photos but didn’t mention it in the recipe. Thanks!
thanks for letting me know gayatri. will correct it.
Tried this recipe…3 times, it came out better each time, except that when I was cooking on the dum the gravey would get a little burnt. But for that it was really yummy and everyone loved it. I personally liked it better than the veg dum biryani. keep post such wonderful dishes, you’re doing an absolutely great job.
thanks dr sankara. i suggest you to use a thick bottomed pan for when dum cooking the biryani. or placing the pan on a hot tava with a low flame and letting the biryani cook. this way the biryani won’t get burned. first heat up the tava and then lower the flame. keep the biryani pan on the tava and let it cook. due to the mushrooms & birista, this biryani gets a special flavor and taste.
Hi Das
I accidentally discovered your site…from maria420 on foodbuzz
The recipes you have given are delicious and pictures are wonderful…
I will definitely try this recipe, as I have not cooked many Awadhi recipes
Keep up the good work and keep posting new recipes
thanks jag for your sweet comments
Hi Dassana,
Supriya again please view the below Youghurt raita. Do let me know if the below raita will go with the biryani. I would want to try the complete package.
Whip curds, salt, sugar, coriander, mint and chillies. Add pomegranate seeds and mix.
yup supriya. this raita will be good. you could also add some chaat masala and roasted jeera powder to the raita.
Thanks Dassana will surely try it.
Hello Dassana,
The pics are very tempting!! Wanted to know which type raita will go best with the biryani??
the best raita that would go with this biryani would be onion-tomato-cucumber raita or even plain raita with just some roasted jeera powder, black pepper powder, sugar, chili powder and black salt added to the yogurt.
Hi, Dassana! I’ve just discovered your fantastic site. You’ve got wonderful recipes, beautiful photos and very clear instructions. Thanks so much for creating/maintaining this wonderful blog. I have a question about an ingredient in this recipe… What is curd? ( I do apologize for my ignorance…very new to Indian style cooking.)
Kindest regards,
Kat
thanks kat for your positive comments.
curd is yogurt. in india we call it curd and in the rest of the world it is known as yogurt
I tried this out and it came out really well…. People who tasted really liked it.
Thank you so much for the pics for the exact steps it really helped me….
thanks smitha…
I tried this recipe , and it came out great!!!!!!!! especially the masala gives the biryani a unique flavour….Best part is you don’t have that many ingredients involved and yet the overall flavor of it comes out to be awesome……..Definitely a must try recipe!!!!!!!!
you are right, shiwangi. there are not many ingredients in this mushroom dum biryani recipe and yet it is full of flavors and taste. good to know that the biryan was great.
Nice photos explaining the steps. I will try this recipe soon.
thanks ramakant… do try the mushroom dum biryani…