PRESSURE COOKER MUSHROOM TIKKA BIRYANI

PRESSURE COOKER MUSHROOM TIKKA BIRYANI - a mushroom tikka masala flavored one-pot biryani or pulao made in an Instant Pot as well as stove top pressure cooker; all you may need is a raita or just plain yogurt and/or a fresh salad!

With easy to follow steps (with pics), I am sure you will be making this delicious vegetable tikka biryani again and again.

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The words “tikka masala” conjures up a mouthwatering bowl of Indian curry with mostly paneer (Indian cottage cheese) or chicken (for the meat lovers) swimming in a thick, spicy onion-tomato gravy flavored with the now globally famous desired and available Indian spices! These curries are mainly served as a side with Indian flat breads like roti, naan, paratha etc.

Why, we love that flavor so much that I have my version of an Aloo Tikka Masala curry using baby potatoes!

If you love mushrooms and are fond of Indian curries, then do check out Mushroom Tikka Masala too on my blog to enjoy with your flat breads or even rice!

WHAT IS TIKKA MASALA:

"Tikka" refers to the yogurt and spices marinated skillet or mostly tandoor/oven roasted paneer, aloo, mushroom or chicken dunked in a creamy red sauce with onions, tomatoes and cream.

This curry is so uber in taste, it is one of the more frequently ordered Indian curries in most restaurants!

For a one pot meal but with all the flavors and tikka masala and rice in one bite, I decided to make a mushroom tikka biryani that too in a pressure cooker with chunks of mushroom and bell peppers in a tikka masala flavored biryani.

As there is no yogurt or cream in this biryani or pulao I am making, it can be termed a totally vegan dish; a treat of biryani (without the raita) for vegans don’t you think?

MUSHROOM TIKKA MASALA BIRYANI:

Nowadays, being in San Diego, I have been on a roll trying to make my dishes using the Instant Pot (an electric pressure cooker) I have here,  and this is one of them.

I am totally for making one-pot dishes which need just a side of yogurt/raita and/or salad for lunch or sometimes dinner! Don’t we all! Less dishes to wash.

So, taking inspiration from my mushroom tikka masala gravy, I decided to make a biryani, flavoring rice with that tikka masala gravy, both the Instant Pot version and stove top pressure cooker version (for those that still do not have an Instant Pot).

So basically, you make the mushroom tikka (added chunks of bell pepper/capsicum too) first with a bunch of spices by sautéing them .

Then pressure cook the rice with the tikka masala gravy separately before stirring in the mushroom bell pepper sautéed tikkas for a flavorful biryani.

As I am not fond of mushy veggies in my dishes (and a pressure cooker is guaranteed to mush up the mushrooms and bell peppers), I have stirred in sautéed mushrooms and bell pepper tikka at the end after pressure cooking the biryani!

The end result is this spicy, delicious, mouthwatering biryani or pulao as many would call it with delicious chunks of sautéed veggies; a complete meal!

Feel free to use any veggies you like or even paneer or chicken too!

In my stove top version, I have used some cauliflower florets and green peas to add to the veggies in this one-pot dish!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE THIS:

• Basmati rice: But of course; no biryani or pulao is tastier without using basmati rice; love the long, fluffy grains. Make sure it is long grained and aromatic. If you cannot find any, use any long grain rice.
• Vegetables: Mushrooms and bell peppers/capsicum. For my stove top version, I have used some leftover cauliflower florets and a handful of green peas too to amp up the veggie nutrition. Tomatoes go without saying as this is an integral part of any tikka masala. You can use any vegetable you have or like or even include some paneer, chickpeas etc.
• Aromatics: Onions, ginger and garlic; all basic ingredients in any tikka masala.
• Spices: No biryani or pulao is complete without basic Indian spices which distinguish them from plain rice. Here, you will need turmeric, black pepper powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and red chili powder; all basic spice powders everyone will have in their pantry. As far as whole spices, only cumin seeds and cinnamon sticks are used.
• Garnish: We love using freshly chopped cilantro or coriander leaves but this is optional if you do not like this herb.

Step-wise Instructions to make Pressure Cooker Mushroom Tikka Biryani:

Wash rice in plenty of water until water runs clear, drain and set aside. If you have time, you can prefer to soak it for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Wash, drain and chop mushrooms and bell peppers. Set aside.

TO MAKE THE ONION-TOMATO-CASHEW PASTE:

In a blender, make a fine puree of onions, tomatoes, serrano peppers/jalapenos/green chilies, garlic, ginger and soaked cashews.

Set aside.

TO MAKE IN AN INSTANT POT:

FIRST, WE MAKE MUSHROOM TIKKA WITH BELL PEPPERS:

Turn the Instant Pot to sauté. After the “hot” sign displays, add ¼ cup of oil.

Once it is hot, add the chopped mushrooms and bell peppers.

Sprinkle the spice powders listed under that and give it a good mix.

Saute, stirring continuously until all the flavors are mixed and you hear the sizzle of veggies frying.

Continue to fry until the vegetables are slightly cooked and sauteed; the mushrooms would have wilted and the bell peppers would have just cooked but with still the deep green color and it’s crunch.

If you see water oozing out of the stir fry (from the mushrooms), using a spatula, slide the veggies to a side and continue to cook until most of the moisture is gone.

Turn off the Instant Pot.

Remove the sauteed mushrooms and bell peppers and set aside in a bowl.

TO MAKE THE BIRYANI:

Turn on the "saute" button and when hot, add 2 more tablespoons of oil if needed.

Stir in 1 tsp cumin seeds and a cinnamon stick.

Fry for a few seconds and then tip in the onion-tomato puree.

Sprinkle the spice powders now – 1 tsp turmeric, ½ tsp black pepper powder, 2 tsp red chili powder, 2 tsp garam masala powder and 2 tsp coriander powder.

Saute or fry, stirring continuously until you see oil or fat separating, making sure to run your spatula over the bottom of the pan, to avoid the gravy from sticking too much; this can lead to it burning as the process goes on and while cooking you will get a “BURN” signal.

After about 7 to 8 minutes, when you see the fat separating and gravy thickening, add the drained Basmati rice and 2 tsp salt or to taste. Mix well.

Add hot water. Mix well; make sure that there are no browned surfaces at the bottom of the inner steel pot.

Do a taste test to gauge the salt level. Add if needed. Cancel saute.

Close the Instant Pot and turn pressure valve to sealing.

Select Manual/Pressure Cook on “High” and adjust time to 4 minutes.

After 4 minutes, natural pressure release (NPR) for 2 minutes and then do a quick pressure release. Open the IP. As you can see, the biryani is still a bit wet but setting it aside for a few more minutes will ensure all the moisture is absorbed and rice is full flavored.

Remove inner steel pot from Instant Pot.

Place on a trivet and close with a glass lid; set aside for 5 to 10 minutes. This prevents the rice from overcooking.

Open the lid; add the mushroom and bell pepper tikka mixture and using a ladle or fork gently mix into the cooked rice, making sure not to break any rice grains.

Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve hot with Boondi or any other raita or just some fresh curd/yogurt and a wedge of lime/lemon. Some sliced cucumbers would be good to.

TO MAKE IN A STOVE TOP PRESSURE COOKER:

Heat 4 tbsp oil and when slightly hot, stir in chopped mushrooms and bell peppers along with spice powders and salt.

Stir fry on medium high heat until the veggies are slightly charred but still maintain its freshness.

Remove from pan using a slotted spoon.

In the same pan (add more oil if needed), add the whole spices; 1 tsp cumin and 1 inch cinnamon stick and sauté on medium low for a few seconds.

Add the tomato onion paste and saute, stirring continuously.

Sprinkle spice powders: 1 tsp turmeric, ½ tsp black pepper powder, 2 tsp red chili powder, 2 tsp garam masala powder and 2 tsp coriander powder.

Mix well and cook on medium heat until you see oil starting to separate.

At this stage, I have added cauliflower florets and green peas along with drained Basmati rice, 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 ¾ cup hot water. Mix well making sure to remove and deglaze any spices stuck to bottom of pan.

Close the pressure pan and pressure cook on high for one whistle and then on low for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, remove from heat, placed on a trivet and let pressure drop naturally.

As soon as you see the pressure drop, open the pressure pan and leave it slightly open; this prevents the rice from overcooking and becoming mushy.

After about 10 to 15 minutes or so, add the sauteed mushrooms and bell peppers, mix gently using a small ladle to prevent rice grains from breaking.

I transferred the whole mixture into a large bowl and gently mixed everything.

Let cool some more before serving if you can wait. This step ensures that each grain of Basmati rice is separate and does not tend to stick to each other.

But if you cannot wait, just go ahead and enjoy!

Serve with a side of Boondi Raita or any raita you like if not vegan.

TO MAKE THE BOONDI/TOMATO-ONION RAITA:

Whisk the yogurt in a serving bowl. Add the sugar, salt and cumin powder.

If enjoying Boondi Raita, stir in some crisp boondis and serve.

If making vegetable raita, avoid the sugar, stir in the chopped onions, tomatoes and cilantro and serve.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

This complete meal of a biryani needs no side at all but a bowl of plain yogurt or raita would help cool you down if you find it a bit spicy  and if not vegan.  But if you are vegan, use coconut yogurt or some salad and/or juices to cool you down (if you make it spicy and still love it).

I made boondi raita, a yogurt based sauce with deep fried crispy chickpea flour balls. You could use chopped cucumber and onions instead too.

My family loved this biryani/pulao so much, I have already made it thrice even before posting it for all of you. It is that good!

Leftovers if any taste even better as the spices tend to infuse in the pulao/biryani and make it more yumm!

UPDATED APRIL 11, 2022:

Made another batch of this delicious one-pot biryani which is super easy to make and absolutely delicious too!

Paired it with some onion raita and a tall glass of fresh strawberry lassi.

Hope you make it soon in your kitchen and if you do, I would love to hear about it. Please share your thoughts and comments in the box below (do not forget to rate) or share you version on Instagram using @curryandvanilla16 or also on my Facebook page.

Enjoy my Foodie Friends and Happy Eating!

If you are a rice and on-pot dish lover like us and love to use pressure cooker to make your meals, then you gotta check out these too:

• Pressure Cooker Sambar Rice
• Curry Leaves Pulao
• Tamarind Rice
• Methi-Carrot Pulav
• Jackfruit and Chickpea Pulav

Enjoy Foodies and Happy Cooking/Eating!

Print

PRESSURE COOKER MUSHROOM TIKKA BIRYANI

A mushroom tikka masala flavored one-pot biryani or pulao made in an Instant Pot as well as stove top pressure cooker; all you need is a raita or just plain yogurt and a fresh salad!

Course Main Course

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Author vanitha bhat

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups Long Grained Basmati Rice

FOR THE TIKKA MASALA PASTE:

• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• 10-12 whole cashew nuts soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
• 1 large Serrano pepper or green chili
• 5 large cloves of garlic peeled
• 1 inch piece of ginger roughly chopped

FOR THE MUSHROOM TIKKA:

• 4 tbsp cooking oil or a combination of oil and ghee if not vegan
• 8 oz package white button mushrooms 3 cups thickly sliced
• 2 cups cubed capsicum/bell pepper
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp black pepper powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• ½ tsp salt

FOR THE BIRYANI:

• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 inch cinnamon piece
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp black pepper powder
• 1-2 tsp red kashmiri Chili powder more for color than heat
• 1 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• ½ cup green peas fresh or frozen
• 2 cups hot water
• 1 ½ tsp salt or to taste

BOONDI RAITA:

• 2 cups thick yogurt
• 2 to 3 tbsp fine sugar
• ½ tsp pink salt or Kala namak
• ½ tsp roasted cumin powder
• Crisp store bought or homemade boondis
• OR
• ½ cup onions finely chopped
• ½ cup tomatoes finely chopped
• Handful of finely chopped cilantro
• Salt to taste

FOR GARNISH:

• Freshly chopped cilantro or coriander leaves
• Lemon wedges to serve with

Instructions

1. Wash rice in plenty of water until water runs clear, drain and set aside.
2. Chop mushrooms and bell peppers. Set aside.

TO MAKE THE ONION-TOMATO-CASHEW PASTE:

1. In a blender, make a fine puree of onions, tomatoes, serrano peppers/green chilies, garlic, ginger and soaked cashews.
2. Set aside.

TO MAKE IN AN INSTANT POT:

1. FIRST STEP IS TO MAKE MUSHROOM TIKKA WITH BELL PEPPERS.

2. Turn the Instant Pot to sauté. After the “hot” sign displays, add ¼ cup of oil.
3. Once it is hot, add the chopped mushrooms and bell peppers.
4. Sprinkle the spice powders listed under that and give it a good mix.
5. Sauté, stirring continuously until all the flavors are mixed and you hear the sizzle of veggies frying.
6. Continue to sauté until the vegetables are slightly cooked and sautéed; the mushrooms would have wilted and the bell peppers would have just cooked but with still the deep green color and it’s crunch.
7. If you see water oozing out of the stir fry (from the mushrooms), using a spatula, slide the veggies to a side and continue to cook until most of the moisture is gone.
8. Turn off the Instant Pot.

9. Remove the sautéed mushrooms and bell peppers using a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl.

TO MAKE THE BIRYANI:

1. Turn on the sauté button and when hot, add 2 more tablespoons of oil if needed.
2. Stir in 1 tsp cumin seeds and a cinnamon stick.
3. Fry for a few seconds and then tip in the onion-tomato puree.

4. Sprinkle the spice powders now – 1 tsp turmeric, ½ tsp black pepper powder, 1-2 tsp red chili powder, 1 1/2 tsp garam masala powder and 2 tsp coriander powder.

5. Sauté or fry, stirring continuously until you see oil or fat separating, making sure to run your spatula over the bottom of the pan, to avoid the gravy from sticking too much; this can lead to it burning as the process goes on and while cooking you will get a “BURN” signal.

6. After about 4 to 5 minutes or when you see the fat separating and gravy thickening, add the drained Basmati rice, 2 tsp salt or to taste and 2 cups hot water.

7. Mix well; make sure that there are no browned, burnt surfaces at the bottom of the inner steel pot.

8. Do a taste test to gauge the salt level. Add if needed. Cancel sauté.
9. Close the Instant Pot and turn pressure valve to sealing.
10. Select Manual/Pressure Cook on “High” and adjust time to 4 minutes.
11. After 4 minutes, natural pressure release (NPR) for 2 minutes and then do a quick pressure release.
12. Open the IP and remove inner steel pot from Instant Pot.

13. Place on a trivet and close with a glass lid; set aside for 5 to 10 minutes. This prevents the rice from overcooking and gives time for each grain of rice to separate into fluffy grains.

14. Open the lid; add the mushroom and bell pepper tikka mixture and using a ladle or fork gently mix into the cooked rice, making sure not to break any rice grains.

15. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve hot with Boondi or any other raita or just some fresh curd/yogurt/lassi etc. and a wedge of lime/lemon. Some sliced cucumbers would be good too.

TO MAKE IN A STOVE TOP PRESSURE COOKER:

1. Heat 4 tbsp oil and when slightly hot, stir in chopped mushrooms and bell peppers along with spice powders and salt.
2. Stir fry on medium high heat until the veggies are slightly charred but still maintain its freshness.
3. Remove from pan using a slotted spoon.
4. In the same pan (add more oil if needed), add the whole spices; 1 tsp cumin and 1 inch cinnamon stick and sauté on medium low for a few seconds.
5. Add the tomato onion paste and sauté, stirring continuously.

6. Sprinkle spice powders: 1tsp turmeric, ½ tsp black pepper powder, 1-2 tsp red chili powder, 1 1/2 tsp garam masala powder and 2 tsp coriander powder.

7. Mix well and cook on medium heat until you see oil starting to separate.

8. At this stage, I have added cauliflower florets and green peas along with drained Basmati rice, 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 ¾ cup hot water. Mix well making sure to remove and deglaze any spices stuck to bottom of pan.

9. Close the pressure pan and pressure cook on high for one whistle and then on low for 5 minutes.

10. After 5 minutes, remove from heat, place on a trivet and let pressure drop naturally.

11. As soon as you see the pressure drop, open the pressure pan and leave it slightly open; this prevents the rice from overcooking and becoming mushy.
12. After about 10 to 15 minutes or so, add the sautéed mushrooms and bell peppers, mix gently using a small ladle to prevent rice grains from breaking.
13. Let cool some more before serving. This step ensures that each grain of Basmati rice is separate and does not tend to stick to each other.
14. Serve with a side of Boondi Raita or any raita you like.

TO MAKE THE BOONDI/TOMATO-ONION RAITA:

1. Whisk the yogurt in a serving bowl. Add the sugar, salt and cumin powder.
2. If enjoying Boondi Raita, stir in some crisp boondis and serve.
3. If making vegetable raita, avoid the sugar, stir in the chopped onions, tomatoes and cilantro and serve.
4. Enjoy Foodies and Happy Cooking/Eating!

Recipe Notes

• Adjust the amount of spices according to personal taste.
• Mushrooms and bell peppers can be sautéed in a separate pan if preferred.
• The amount of water added to rice depends upon the quality of rice you are using.
• If you are not too fond of spicy dishes, you can omit the Serrano pepper in the onion paste and reduce black pepper powder.
• While sautéing the onion paste, stir continuously using a ladle, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot; removing the browned portions. Do this before pressure cooking the rice too. These steps will ensure you do not get the “BURN” sign when pressure cooking in Instant Pot as well as burnt food in the stove top version.
• For a one-pot dish, you can sauté the veggies and onion paste in the inner pot, but if you want to avoid the burnt portion, do these steps in a stove top saucepan and then transfer to the IP.
• I have used a 6 Quart Duo Instant Pot and a 5-liter stove top stainless steel pressure cooker.
• Enjoy and Happy Cooking/Eating!

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