Mushroom Pulao

Heat the oil or ghee in a heavy pot or pressure cooker over medium heat. Add the shahi jeera and the whole spices and let them crackle briefly to flavour the fat.

Add the thinly sliced onions. Sauté them patiently until they caramelize to a pale golden brown.

Add the ginger-garlic paste and the slit green chillies. Fry for 1 minute to cook off the raw, sharp notes.

1 min

Fold in the finely diced tomatoes, then the turmeric, red chilli powder and the measured salt. Cook it down until the tomatoes break apart completely into a rich, pulpy base.

Add the thickly sliced mushrooms to the spiced base. Turn the heat to high and fry them quickly for 3-4 minutes, so they release their liquid and shrink down.

3–4 min

Add the freshly chopped mint, the coriander leaves and the garam masala. Give it a firm toss so the mushrooms take up the aroma.

Thoroughly void the soaking liquid from the basmati rice and introduce the grains to the pot. Employ an ultra-gentle folding motion to varnish the rice in the spiced fat, toasting it for exactly 1 minute to fortify its structure.

1 min

Pour in the highly specific measure of boiling water to instantly normalize the cooking temperature. Mandate a rolling boil.

In an ordinary pot: cover it tightly with a heavy lid, turn the heat right down and simmer for 12-15 minutes. In a pressure cooker: close it and cook for exactly 2 whistles over medium heat.

12–15 min

Turn off the heat. Let it rest for 10 minutes without lifting the lid. Then uncover, fluff the long grains gently with a fork and serve immediately.

10 min