For mushroom lovers, this pulao recipe is worth bookmarking. The caramelized mushrooms, roasted onions, cashews, and spices all make it so damn delicious. If you long for some gratifying comfort meal on a busy weeknight or a lazy weekend, this versatile vegetarian pulao could satisfy your cravings. In my house, we call it a cheat mushroom biryani. Except for the layering process, the taste and texture of the pulao are as good as a biryani. The best part is this mushroom pulao does not require fancy ingredients or hours in the kitchen. Instead, it needs 10 minutes of cooking time and one instant pot. More Reasons To LOVE Mushroom Pulao
possible vegan (skip ghee) gluten-free and vegetarian a quick, family-friendly, one-pot meal perfect for a picnic, potluck, or lunch box you can make it on a casserole, pressure cooker, or an instant pot
Ingredients Required
Mushroom: I use button mushrooms as they are the most effortlessly and readily available mushrooms in India. But you can use – crimini, portobello, shiitake, gucchi, or any other wild variety of meaty mushrooms for making pulao. Green Peas: Use fresh or frozen peas. If using frozen ones, thaw them before adding them to the pulao. Rice: The long-grain basmati rice is the best for any Indian pulao or biryani. Avoid using starchy, sticky, short-grain rice. Whole Spices: Cardamom, Bay leaf, Cloves Spice Powder: Garam Masala, Red Chili Powder Other Ingredients: Red Onion, Cashew, Ginger Garlic Paste, Salt, Water, Ghee
My Tried & True Tips
Cooking Liquid: For cooking the pulao from plain water, vegetable stock, to chicken broth, you can use either of these liquids to flavour the rice. Liquid Ratio: For mushroom pulao ratio of 1: 1 ½ (rice to water) works perfectly fine. Cooking Method: You can cook this pulao in a traditional stovetop Indian pressure cooker, heavy-duty casserole, Dutch oven, instant pot, or electric pressure cooker. Cooking Time: In the instant pot, the pulao takes 10 minutes (6 – 7 minutes sauteing + 3 minutes cooking). On the stovetop, it takes 20 – 25 minutes (10 – 15 minutes sauteing + 10 – 15 minutes cooking). Vegan Pulao: You can make mushroom pulao vegan by skipping ghee for cooking. Use coconut oil or any other vegan cooking oil.
Instant Pot Method
Step 1) Wash and soak rice in water for 30 minutes. Set it aside.
Step 2) Set the saute mode of IP for 15 minutes. Once hot, add ghee or cooking oil and whole spices. Fry for 10 – 20 seconds to release the aroma of the spices.
Step 3) Next, add the sliced onion and cashews. Fry till the onion turns light golden.
Step 4) Add the ginger-garlic paste, mushroom, green peas, spices, and salt. Fry the masala for 5 minutes or till the mushrooms are nicely caramelized.
Step 5) Drain the water from the soaked rice. Add the rice to the pressure cooker or IP. Saute the rice for a minute. Add water. Stir. Taste the liquid. If required, add more salt or seasoning.
Step 6) Seal the IP with the lid. Set pressure cook mode for 3 minutes. After set the timing is over, allow the steam to release naturally from the pressure cooker. Open the lid and fluff the rice using a fork.
Serving Suggestion
Mushroom Pulao is a wholesome, fulfilling meal in itself. However, I do love to serve a few side dishes with a pulao, one of them is green boondi raita, and the second is Indian kachumber salad. Apart from that, a homemade pickle and fried papadum are the perfect accompaniments for a pulao. You can easily pack this mushroom pulao for school or office lunch boxes. It is easy to carry around and reheat.
Watch Pulao Video
More Pulao Recipes
Chana Pulao Sweet Pulao Matar Pulao Chicken Pulao Vegetable Pulao Paneer Tikka Pulao Subscribe to our weekly newsletter or follow us on Youtube for video recipes.
