Mushroom Dum Biryani Recipe

Mushroom Dum Biryani Recipe / Hyderabadi style Mushroom Biryani Recipe – Lip-smacking biryani recipe from scratch home-style. Recipe with step by step pictures.

Let me say it before you start. The time you spend to make this Mushroom Dum Biryani Recipe will be worth it. Ideal for a Sunday lunch and I promise you wont miss the meat. This Hyderabadi style mushroom biryani is lip-smacking and super delicious that you will always have that little extra serving than usual. Get ready for the little Sunday nap after biryani over dose. Here is how to do it homestyle. There are a lot of versions of Hyderabadi biryani and this is my version. There is no right and wrong when it comes to recipes. Just follow your heart and do what your family likes at the table.

Here is how to do Mushroom Dum Biryani Recipe / Hyderabadi style Mushroom Biryani Recipe
There is a lot of prep work required for making this layered mushroom biryani. The first one is cooking the rice to the desired consistency. For making layer biryani’s, I prefer to use Daawat basmati rice or Lal Qila basmati rice. These two brands work really well and the rice cooks nicely as long grains without becoming mushy.

RICE
For any biryani, the first step is to soak the rice for at-least 20 minutes to half an hour. The soaking helps in keeping the grains separate when cooked later-on. I have used two cups of basmati rice (approximately about 500 ml). I have used the pressure cooker to cook my rice. After 20 minutes of soaking the rice, gently drain the water. Add it to the pressure cooker and add 2.5 cups of water. For every cup of rice used, I have added 1+1/4 cups of water.
Note: You can use the same qty of water and cook the rice in a rice cooker too! It works.

Cook for exactly 2 whistles and switch off the flame. Wait for the pressure in the cooker to settle down. It will take about 10-12 minutes for the pressure to settle. Once the pressure is off, remove the rice from the cooker and spread it on plates to completely cool. By any chance, if the rice is slightly sticky to the touch, don’t worry. The small lumps will go away when we do the final DUM.

DEEP FRIED ONIONS – BIRISTA
Another thing about Hyderabadi style biryani is the addition of the wonderful crispy deep fried onions called the birista or the bristha. Here is how I do it. Take about 500 grams of onions and slice it thinly. Add oil to the pan and add in the onions. Now, fried onions take anywhere between 20-25 minutes to get that deep brown colour. This is the first thing I start in the kitchen when making biryani so I can get all the other prep work done when the onions are cooking and doing its magic.

The onions would slowly start to brown and change colour to a deep cocoa. Keep sauteing every couple of minutes as the onions in the corner of the pan tend to brown faster. So keep moving and mixing things.

Once the onions are nice and brown, remove the onions and place it on a strainer. Press with a spatula to get rid of all the excess oil. Drain the onions on a paper towel. Set aside.

ROASTING NUTS
We will use the same oil that is remaining after frying the onions for frying the cashew-nuts. The leftover oil is very flavorful. Add in the cashews and saute for a couple of minutes till its golden. My son loves to crunch on these cashews. So I always add a little extra. If you do not want a lot of nuts, feel free to add or reduce according to your taste. Drain the cashews on a paper towel and set aside.

SAFFRON PREP
Soak the saffron in quarter cup of really hot water. You can also soak it in milk but I like to do it in hot water.

COOKING MUSHROOMS
Chop each mushroom into four pieces. Add in the chopped mushrooms to the pan. I have used button mushrooms today. The little oil remaining after frying cashews would suffice. If there is no leftover oil remaining, add in a teaspoon of oil. Add in quarter teaspoon of salt. The mushrooms will start to leave its moisture / water and will start to shrink. Add in the turmeric powder and the biryani masala.
Note: I really like the “Kohinoor biryani masala” that is available these days. Another masala brand I use is “Shan Masala”. Use whatever masala you like. Homemade / store-bought – all is OK.

When the water has dried up and the mushrooms have shrunk, add in the ghee. Roast the mushrooms for 2-3 minutes till the mushrooms are charred here and there. Remove the mushrooms and set aside on a plate to cool. Ghee is the only non-vegan thing in this recipe. If you are vegan, substitute the ghee with coconut oil.

THE BIRYANI GRAVY FOR THE MUSHROOM DUM BIRYANI
In the same pan add in a tablespoon of oil. Add in the sliced onions. Saute for a couple of minutes till the onions are soft.

While the onions are sauteing, take a small mixie jar and make a paste of garlic, green chillies and ginger. Add a little water to grind. If you want a spicy biryani, adjust the chillies according to your taste.

Add in the chopped tomatoes and the ground ginger-garlic-green chilli paste. Wash the mixie with quarter cup of water and add it back to the pan. Add in the mint leaves and coriander leaves. Add in the biryani masala. Add a teaspoon of salt to the gravy. Store bought biryani masala usually has some amount of salt. So go easy on the salt. We can adjust the seasoning later.

Cover the pan and cook for five minutes till the tomatoes are soft and mushy.

Add in about 200ml of plain yogurt / curd. Whisk the curd and then add to the pan. Add quarter cup of water along. Cover the pan and cook for three – four minutes on a medium flame.

Reserve quarter cup of the fried onions for garnish. Add in the rest of the fried onions / Birista to the pan.

Mix well, cover the pan and let the gravy simmer for another three to four minutes until the gravy is thick. Switch off the flame and add in juice of half a lemon.

Biryani gravy is done. The gravy should not be very watery. Check for seasoning at this stage and add more salt if necessary.

FINAL LAYERING
Get all the prepped food ready. We will layer the Mushroom Dum Biryani / Hyderabadi style Mushroom Biryani.


Now we will layer and  put the biryani on DUM.
We will be doing a two parts layered biryani. So we will split all the prepped food in half and start layering.
Take a bowl / pan and add in half of the biryani gravy at the bottom of the pan. Spread evenly with a spatula. Top it with half of the rice. Followed by half of the mushrooms. Make sure that the mushrooms are spread evenly and is not concentrated only on one place. Make sure that the whole area in the bowl / pan is covered evenly with mushrooms.

Top the mushrooms with half of the saffron water. Sprinkle the water evenly. Followed by a sprinkle of coriander and mint. Then add in half of the cashews and half of the remaining fried onions. Sprinkle a pinch of biryani masala on top.

Thats one big “row” of biryani done. Now repeat the layering again. So two “rows” of biryani layering is done. Now the biryani is ready for DUM. The DUM can be done in several ways. I have done it in the rice cooker. Place the layered biryani in a rice cooker for 12 minutes or until the auto switch goes off. Let it rest for another 10 minutes before you serve.
Stove top method – Heat a dosa tawa or a griddle. Place the prepared biryani pan on top of the griddle. Keep the flame on a low simmer and let it cook for 15 minutes. Let it rest for another 10 minutes before you serve.
Oven Method – Place the biryani bowl in a preheated 200C oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Let it rest for another 10 minutes before you serve.

Fantastic Mushroom Dum Biryani / Hyderabadi style Mushroom Biryani Recipe is ready. Serve hot.

Mushroom Dum Biryani Recipe

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Mushroom Dum Biryani Recipe / Hyderabadi style Mushroom Biryani Recipe – Lip-smacking biryani recipe from scratch home-style. Recipe with step by step pictures.

• Total Time: 9 minute
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Cooking Rice

• 2 cups basmati rice
• 2.5 cups water

Birista / Fried Onions

• 500 grams red onions, sliced
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Roasting Nuts

• 1/2 cup to 1 cup cashews

Saffron Water

• a big pinch of saffron
• 1/4 cup of hot water

Cooking Mushrooms

• 400 grams mushroom
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon biryani masala
• 1 teaspoon ghee

The biryani gravy

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup red onions, sliced
• 12 cloves garlic
• 1 inch piece ginger
• 5 green chillies
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
• 1 tablespoon biryani masala
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 200 ml plain yogurt / curd
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Final Layering

• 2 tablespoon chopped mint leaves
• 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon biryani masala

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Instructions

Rice –  Soak the rice for 20 minutes. Drain the water and add in 2.5 cups of fresh water. Cook for exactly 2 whistles and switch off the flame. Wait for the pressure in the cooker to settle down. It will take about 10-12 minutes for the pressure to settle. Once the pressure is off, remove the rice from the cooker and spread it on plates to completely cool.

Birista – Another thing about Hyderabadi style biryani is the addition of the wonderful crispy deep fried onions called the birista or the bristha. Here is how I do it. Take about 500 grams of onions and slice it thinly. Add oil to the pan and add in the onions. Now, fried onions take anywhere between 20-25 minutes to get that deep brown colour. This is the first thing I start in the kitchen when making biryani so I can get all the other prep work done when the onions are cooking and doing its magic. The onions would slowly start to brown and change colour to a deep cocoa. Keep sauteing every couple of minutes as the onions in the corner of the pan tend to brown faster. So keep moving and mixing things. Once the onions are nice and brown, remove the onions and place it on a strainer. Press with a spatula to get rid of all the excess oil. Drain the onions on a paper towel. Set aside.

Roast Cashews – We will use the same oil that is remaining after frying the onions for frying the cashew-nuts. The leftover oil is very flavorful. Add in the cashews and saute for a couple of minutes till its golden. My son loves to crunch on these cashews. So I always add a little extra. If you do not want a lot of nuts, feel free to add or reduce according to your taste. Drain the cashews on a paper towel and set aside.

Saffron Water – Soak the saffron in quarter cup of really hot water. You can also soak it in milk but I like to do it in hot water.

Cook the Mushrooms – Chop each mushroom into four pieces. Add in the chopped mushrooms to the pan. I have used button mushrooms today. The little oil remaining after frying cashews would suffice. If there is no leftover oil remaining, add in a teaspoon of oil. Add in quarter teaspoon of salt. The mushrooms will start to leave its moisture / water and will start to shrink. Add in the turmeric powder and the biryani masala. When the water has dried up and the mushrooms have shrunk, add in the ghee. Roast the mushrooms for 2-3 minutes till the mushrooms are charred here and there. Remove the mushrooms and set aside on a plate to cool.

Biryani Gravy – In the same pan add in a tablespoon of oil. Add in the sliced onions. Saute for a couple of minutes till the onions are soft. While the onions are sauteing, take a small mixie jar and make a paste of garlic, green chillies and ginger. Add a little water to grind. If you want a spicy biryani, adjust the chillies according to your taste. Add in the chopped tomatoes and the ground ginger-garlic-green chilli paste. Wash the mixie with quarter cup of water and add it back to the pan. Add in the mint leaves and coriander leaves. Add in the biryani masala. Add a teaspoon of salt to the gravy. Store bought biryani masala usually has some amount of salt. So go easy on the salt. We can adjust the seasoning later.

Cover the pan and cook for five minutes till the tomatoes are soft and mushy. Add in about 200ml of plain yogurt / curd. Whisk the curd and then add to the pan. Add quarter cup of water along. Cover the pan and cook for three – four minutes on a medium flame. Reserve quarter cup of the fried onions for garnish. Add in the rest of the fried onions / Birista to the pan. Mix well, cover the pan and let the gravy simmer for another three to four minutes until the gravy is thick. Switch off the flame and add in juice of half a lemon. Biryani gravy is done. The gravy should not be very watery. Check for seasoning at this stage and add more salt if necessary.

Get all the prepped food ready. We will layer the Mushroom Dum Biryani / Hyderabadi style Mushroom Biryani. We will be doing a two parts layered biryani. So we will split all the prepped food in half and start layering.
Take a bowl / pan and add in half of the biryani gravy at the bottom of the pan. Spread evenly with a spatula. Top it with half of the rice. Followed by half of the mushrooms. Make sure that the mushrooms are spread evenly and is not concentrated only on one place. Make sure that the whole area in the bowl / pan is covered evenly with mushrooms. Top the mushrooms with half of the saffron water. Sprinkle the water evenly. Followed by a sprinkle of coriander and mint. Then add in half of the cashews and half of the remaining fried onions. Sprinkle a pinch of biryani masala on top.

Thats one big “row” of biryani done. Now repeat the layering again. So two “rows” of biryani layering is done. Now the biryani is ready for DUM. The DUM can be done in several ways. I have done it in the rice cooker. Place the layered biryani in a rice cooker for 12 minutes or until the auto switch goes off. Let it rest for another 10 minutes before you serve.
Stove top method – Heat a dosa tawa or a griddle. Place the prepared biryani pan on top of the griddle. Keep the flame on a low simmer and let it cook for 15 minutes. Let it rest for another 10 minutes before you serve.
Oven Method – Place the biryani bowl in a preheated 200C oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Let it rest for another 10 minutes before you serve.

Fantastic Mushroom Dum Biryani / Hyderabadi style Mushroom Biryani Recipe is ready. Serve hot.

• Author: Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 30m