Mushroom Pulao
This Indian rice dish stars saffron-infused U.S.-grown basmati rice cooked with whole spices, aromatics, and veggies. Similar to biryani, but with a much simpler cooking process, this warm and comforting meal is vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free.
This recipe comes to us from our friend Anisha of Upbeet Anisha in partnership with USA Rice and Thefeedfeed.
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Servings4
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Serving Size1 bowl
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Prep Time30 min
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Cook Time35 min
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Total Time1 hr 5 min
Ingredients
- 1 cup white basmati rice
- 7-8 strands of saffron
- 2 tablespoons oat milk, or another unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil, or another neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 green cardamom pods
- 4-5 cloves
- 5 black peppercorns
- 1-inch piece of cinnamon
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ red onion, sliced
- 1-inch ginger, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 green chilis, minced
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- 5 medium cremini or baby bella mushrooms, cut into 1/2-inch thick pieces
- ½ cup frozen peas, thawed
- 2 cups water
- ¼ cup raisins
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
Directions
- To prepare the rice: Soak rice in cold water for 20-30 minutes to reduce the cooking time. Simultaneously, soak saffron in oat milk. Set aside.
- Heat a medium pot over medium heat and add oil. When oil is hot, add all the whole spices: cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, and bay leaves. Stir for a couple of minutes.
- Add onions. Cook for about 6-7 minutes, slightly past the point when the onions start turning translucent. Add ginger, garlic, and green chilis. Stir frequently for a few minutes.
- Add red chili powder, salt, and tomatoes. Cook until the tomato juices mostly evaporate, which should take about 4-5 minutes.
- Add mushrooms and peas. Stir until mushrooms are almost cooked.
- Drain rice and add it in. Stir with just the rice for a minute or two. Add water. Increase heat to medium-high until it starts to bubble at the surface. Reduce to medium-low, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes. Add saffron about halfway through cooking time.
- After it is done cooking, let it sit covered but off of the heat for 10 minutes.
- Before serving, fry raisins: Add vegan butter to a small pan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add raisins and stir occasionally for about 5 minutes.
- Serve the pulao with raisins, cilantro, and unsweetened yogurt of choice.