This fragrant chettinad mushroom biryani is packed with rich flavors, juicy mushrooms and it is ready to be put on the table in around 45 minutes! That's not all, it is a one pot recipe that can be made completely vegan 🙂 Now that I have your eyes and ears, let me tell you this one is stupid simple and so good that this recipe will be on repeat for your weekday dinners. This biryani is heavily inspired by the beautiful cuisine of the Chettinad region in Southern India. More about that below 👇🏽

Inspired by Chettinad Cuisine
Chettinad region in the state of Tamil Nadu is famous for its delicious food. Although people generally assume the food is spicy, that's actually not the case. This cuisine focuses a lot on using a variety of spices and certainly packs a punch in terms of flavor. Mushrooms are also widely used in various dishes including mushroom pepper fry, mushroom gravy etc. If you have never tried biryani before, you are in for a treat. It is a fragrant rice dish that is cooked in a variety of ways depending on the region. Biryani is traditionally a meat based dish but as with a lot of Indian dishes there will always be vegetarian versions!
Spices
As this is inspired by the flavors of Chettinad, the list of spices might seem long and daunting but don't be put off by it. Once you taste this delicacy, you will appreciate the few extra minutes you took to get all the ingredients together. You can easily find most of these spices at your local store. There are a couple of spices for which you might have to take a trip to your local Indian store or order online. You can also skip these(marked as optional) and the dish will turn out fine.
Rice
The type of rice we use plays an important role in how the dish turns out. Chettinad mushroom biryani traditionally calls for a type of rice called Jeeraga Samba(short grain) but I did not have any on hand and could not get it readily at my local Indian store. Instead I decided to use Basmati rice which worked out great.
Love mushrooms? Want more? Check these out
How to make the best Chettinad Mushroom biryani?
This dish comes together very quickly. Hence make sure you have all the ingredients prepped and ready to go.
Prepping the rice
Before we start with anything else, wash the rice thoroughly a couple of times to remove the starch. Once rinsed, add more fresh water until the rice is fully submerged and keep it aside. Start a 20 minute timer. Once the timer goes off, make sure to drain all the water and keep the rice aside. Soaking the rice helps remove additional starch and keeps the grains nice and separate when cooked. However leaving it soaking for longer than 20 minutes might soften the rice too much and cause breakage when cooking it.
Fresh Herbs
Use plenty of fresh herbs like mint and cilantro(coriander) since they add to the flavor besides the spices.
Tempering
In a deep pan or dutch oven, we will first temper the spices by adding some oil/ghee and adding all the whole spices in once the oil is hot. Make sure the heat is at medium low to ensure the spices don't end up burning. As the spices get hot, you will notice them doing a little dance as they start sizzling. Now you are ready to add the other ingredients.
Making it vegan
Biryani traditionally requires yoghurt which adds a bit of tang to the flavor profile. I have made this using vegan cashew milk based yoghurt and it tasted equally good. So feel free to swap out if you are avoiding dairy.
Heavy vs Light Coconut Milk
Coconut milk is an important part of the chettinad mushroom biryani. I personally prefer using a lighter version since the thick coconut milk tends to dilute the flavors more and also to keep it a little healthier. You can choose to any version based on your preference. If you want to use another milk, I would suggest oat although the flavors will vary.
Best mushrooms to use + substitutions
My favorite mushrooms to use for Indian dishes are the regular white button ones since that is the most common one we have in India. You can of course use any mushroom of your choice to make this dish.I know not everyone likes mushrooms and if you don't want to use it, then you can use other vegetables like cauliflower, green beans, raw jackfruit, carrots and peas. The cooking time will vary for other veggies though since they take a longer time to cook.
Serving and Storage
The mushroom biryani can be served with a variety of sides including raita made from cucumbers or onions. Top the biryani with some crunchy fried onions for some added texture. You can also serve it with raw onions, cucumber slices, gravy(salan) or lime wedges to squeeze over it. If you really like your food spicy, then try adding spicy Indian pickles as a side as well.
For storing the biryani, let it cool down completely before storing it in a glass or ceramic container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Rice will start drying out once it is cooked. While reheating, sprinkle a little bit of water and reheat in the microwave or a use pressure/rice cooker.
Let me know if you made the chettinad mushroom biryani!
Hello friends! Hope this recipe left your mouth watering! I hope you give it a try and if you do, please let me know your thoughts and comments below. Please also share on Instagram by using the hashtag #dillandthyme. You can also follow me along on Facebook and Pinterest for the latest recipes or sign up for the latest post to be delivered to your inbox!
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Recipe
Chettinad Mushroom Biryani
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup Basmati or Jeeraga Samba Rice
- ¼ cup Yoghurt or Vegan alternative
- 2 tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste
- 4 tablespoon Ghee or Avacado Oil
- 2 cup Water
- 1 cup Coconut Milk
Produce
- 1 Onion large, peeled and sliced
- 8 oz White Button Mushrooms cleaned and quartered/sliced
- 2 Roma Tomatoes Washed and finely chopped
- ½ cup Mint Leaves Washed and finely chopped
- ½ cup Cilantro Washed and finely chopped
- 3 Fresh Green Chillies cleaned and slit lengthwise
Whole Spices
- 1 inch Cinnamon Stick
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds
- 4-5 Green Cardamom slit open with the seeds inside
- 6-7 Whole Black Peppercorns
- 2 Whole Star Anise
- 4-5 Cloves
- 1 Mace Blade
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 2 pieces Marathi Moggu optional
- 1 teaspoon Stone Flower (Dagad phool) optional
Powdered Spices
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
- 3 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Clove Powder
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder
Instructions
- Clean the rice by rinsing it with water a couple of times. Then add more water until the rice is fully covered. Keep aside for 20 minutes. Once its has been soaked for 20 minutes, drain out all the water from the rice and keep aside.
- Prep all the other ingredients while the rice is soaking. Heat a deep pot with a lid or dutch oven( with lid) to medium low heat. Add the ghee or oil and heat it for a minute.
- Now add all of the whole spices and let it temper/bloom in the fat. You will see the cumin and fennel seeds sizzling in the oil. Once you reach this state, add the chopped onions. Saute and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Now add the ginger-garlic paste and mix well. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Add in the chopped tomatoes. Add the powdered spices and mix well. Let it cook for 5 minutes.Season with some salt. Now add the slit chillies, chopped mint, cilantro and mix well. After a minute, add the mushrooms. Then mix in the yoghurt as well.
- Increase the heat to medium and mix in the rice. Add the water along with coconut milk. Add salt to taste and mix. Close pan/dutch oven and let the rice cook for 8-9 minutes.
- Open the lid to check if rice is done. If you feel it needs more time and there is not much liquid left, add 4-5 tablespoons of water and close the lid again for 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low.
- Open and taste to see if it needs more salt. If yes, then add accordingly and mix gently. Turn off heat and serve hot with raita, pickles or any gravy of your choice.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The links provided in this post and recipe card might include affiliate links including ones which mention "affiliate" or "a" after a link mentioned in the post. These earn me a small commission when you purchase using them at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.
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