Mushroom biryani- The WOW biryani!

Wowww, is one word I can use to describe this dish. 

Mushroom biryani is in vogue these days! In a lot of marriage feasts and any gatherings, mushroom biryani is the most prominent dish and the most preferred too. People find it as a nice alternative to vegetable biryani. And its also quite easy to prepare. There's not much of chopping involved and it gets cooked in no time. 

I am in my mom's place now. My parents had tasted this dish before but never attempted to cook mushroom in home. So I wanted to prepare this dish for them. They just loved it very much . Since the first try, I've been making this biryani every other week and they totally enjoy it. Some of my relatives too delightfully tasted this dish and also appreciated my skill in preparing it! Wow! I am raising my shirt collar in pride now!

This dish turns fantabulous when cooked in jeeraga samba rice. Kalpaasi or Black stone flower is an essential masala which imparts great flavor to this dsih. So dont omit them out. Also, cook the rice in coconut milk and not just plain water. All this gives the biryani an uncompromised taste. Also be bold in the addition of spices/ masala. Biryani has to burst in flavors and not just be bland like a tomato rice. A perfectly cooked biryani should have amazing flavor with its taste tingling in your tongue and its aroma still fresh in your hands even hours after you've had them!

Ingredients

2 cups jeeraga samba rice/ basmati rice

2 cups packed thinly sliced mushrooms

2 cup coconut milk

1 medium sized onion (thinly sliced)

1 small onion paste

2 medium sized tomato

2 tbs thick curd

2 ts ginger garlic paste
Squeeze of one small lemon (optional)

Handful of finely chopped mint leaves

6 green chillies (roughly crushed)

1 ts fennel seed, Few kalpaasi, 2 cinnamon sticks, 4 cloves, 2 cardamon

1/2 ts red chilli powder, 2 ts coriander cumin pepper powder, 1 ts garam masala, 1 ts chicken masala

Note: When using jeeraga samba rice, never soak them beforehand. They cook pretty faster even without soaking.

Preparation

Preparing the mushroom masala

- Heat enough oil in a kadai. Heat them on a medium flame. Add in all the whole spices and let their aroma come out.
- Add the thinly sliced onions and a pinch of salt. Fry till they turn slight brownish.
- Add onion paste, ginger, garlic, green chillies and fry for few minutes until its raw smell fades away.
- Then add half of the chopped mint leaves.
- Lower the flame and add all the spice powders.
- Quickly add in the cut mushrooms and enough salt.
- Crank up the heat and fry for 2-3 minutes.
- Next cut the cut tomatoes and the thick curd. Mix them well and keep in high flame for one more minute.
- Then keep the kadai covered and cook in simmer for 5-8 minutes until mushroom blends well with the masala and oil seperates from the masala mixture.

Preparing the rice

- In a large stock pot add enough coconut milk and water. For 2 cups of rice, four cups of liquid has to be added. Adjust the proportion of coconut milk and water as per your liking.
- Add enough salt and bring the liquid to a boil.
- Add the washed rice and mushroom masala already prepared. Mix everything well.
- Also add the remaining mint leaves.
- Keep the pot covered in simmer until the rice gets done.
- In the last stage, you can keep the rice pot over a tawa for the rice to get cooked well without sticking to the sides of the pot.
- Finally add the squeeze of one small lemon. It gives your biryani that lemony kick!

Enjoy this yummy biryani with any of your favorite side-dish. We had it with raita and simple potato fry. Awesome it was!! Pack it during your holiday travel and have it with crunchy potato chips...your friends will tell you, besh! besh! romba nalla irukku! Isn't that one comment you've secretly yearned to get for the hardwork you've put for hours in the kitchen...