Mushroom pulao or mushroom rice is a perfect one-pot Indian mushroom dish that is delicious and easy to make in just about 30 minutes. It can be served as a main course or as a side dish and goes well with Indian dals and curries.
Mushroom rice can be made in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop. It is vegan, gluten-free, easy to make, and absolutely flavorful.
It can be made ahead of time for meal planning and stored in the fridge. It is perfect for a weeknight dinner and leftovers can be eaten the next day. It is also a very easy dish to make for potlucks. It can be served as a main course or as a side dish and makes a great lunch box meal.
Ingredients
This mushroom rice dish is made with basmati rice, whole spices, mushrooms, onions, and optionally some peas. The best part of this dish is that it can be adapted to any more veggies like bell pepper and zucchini to it.
Whole spices like red chili, bay leaf, cloves, peppercorn, cinnamon stick, and cumin seeds are added for flavor. I have made this dish with oil as I wanted to make the vegan version but you can also use butter or ghee.
Baby bella, cremini, or button mushrooms work well for this recipe. I have used the baby bella ones. Either slicing or cutting them into quarters works fine.
Frozen or fresh peas can be used to make a mushroom matar pulao or mushroom peas pilaf. If you use frozen peas then you can add them after cooking the pulao and they will cook easily with the heat of the rice. Fresh ones will need a little longer so you can add them along with rice for pressure cooking.
Instant Pot instructions
Mushroom pulao can be made in an electric pressure cooker like an Instant Pot or on the stovetop. Making it in the Instant Pot is faster and requires no monitoring.
To make this one-pot mushroom rice dish in the Instant Pot, first, saute the whole spices in oil using the saute mode. Then cook the onions and mushrooms until they are soft.
Finally, add the water and deglaze the pot. Add the rice and pressure cook it for 4 minutes on high-pressure mode. A ratio of 1 cup basmati rice to 1 ¼ cup water works perfectly well for making pulao.
Saute spices and onions in oil.
Add mushrooms, rice, and water.
While pressure cooking set the 'keep warm' setting to on and let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes after it is done cooking. Now release the remaining pressure manually by moving the pressure knob to the venting position and then open the lid.
Fluff the rice with a fork and optionally add the frozen peas after rinsing them in warm water. You can also add some onion greens for garnishing and pepper for additional flavor. After adding the peas, cover the pot with the lid for about a minute or two until the peas are soft.
Mushroom rice with peas is now ready to be served.
Pulao is well cooked.
Add peas and green onions.
Stovetop instructions
Making mushroom pulao is equally easy but will require some monitoring. Start with sauteing the whole spices in oil using in a saucepan on medium heat. Then cook the onions and mushrooms until they are soft.
Mushrooms will ooze out some water, add the water and deglaze the pot. Add the rice and cook covered on medium heat for about 12-15 minutes. A ratio of 1 cup basmati rice to 2 cup water works perfectly well for making mushroom pulao on the stovetop.
Fluff the rice with a fork and optionally add the frozen peas after rinsing them in warm water. After adding the peas, cover the pot with the lid for about a minute or two until the peas are soft. You can also add some onion greens for garnishing and pepper for additional flavor.
Substitutions
This mushroom rice recipe is vegan and gluten-free and can easily be adapted to substitute the ingredients
- Rice - I have used basmati rice but if you don't have it, you can use other rice and adjust the water ratio and timing based on the rice. Brown rice will take much longer to cook.
- Peas - I have used frozen peas but fresh ones can be used as well. They take a little longer to cook and should be added along with rice while cooking.
Variations
This mushroom pilaf is versatile and can be adapted to your taste and preference.
- Spicy - add some serrano pepper along with onions while sauteing.
- Veggies - instead of peas you can add other veggies like carrots, bell pepper, or zucchini.
If you don't like mushrooms then you can enjoy a simple peas pulao recipe.
Serving suggestions
Mushroom rice is served along with the main course in an Indian meal. It pairs well with chana dal, dal tadka, or Indian curries. We also enjoy it with vegetable manchurian.
Equipment
This mushroom rice is made in a 6 qt. instant pot. However, you can make it in any electric pressure cooker. Making it in the instant pot reduces the overall time and there is no monitoring involved. If you don't have an instant pot, you can also make it on the stovetop. The recipe card below has all the instructions.
Storage
This one-pot mushroom rice dish is great for meal planning and can be made ahead of time. It can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in an air-tight container. Just ensure that the rice is cooled down before transferring it to the container.
When you are ready to eat, simply reheat the rice in the microwave, stovetop, or in the instant pot on the saute mode.
Top tip
If you are using fresh peas then you can add them along with rice and pressure cook them.
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📖 Recipe
Mushroom Pulao | Instant Pot & Stovetop
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Equipment
Ingredients
Whole Spices
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 1 inch Cinnamon stick
- 1 Whole Red Chili
- 1 Bay leaf
- 4 Peppercorn
- 4 Cloves
- 2 Cardamom
For garnishing
- ¼ cup Green onion greens
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper (optional)
Instructions
Make mushroom rice in Instant Pot
- Rinse rice under cold water until water runs clear.
- Turn the Instant Pot on "Saute" mode, once it is hot, add oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and let them crackle. Add all the whole spices.
- Add the cashews and roast them for about 10-15 seconds until the cashews are slightly golden brown.
- Add the onions and saute until about 30 seconds and then add mushrooms.
- Add salt and give it a mix.
- Continue to saute for about a minute until mushrooms turn soft.
- Add water and mix well, deglaze the bottom of the pot if needed.
- Add the rice and mix well.
- Press cancel to come out of saute mode and put the lid on.
- Turn the Instant Pot on High pressure for 4 minutes with pressure valve in sealing position. Keep the "Keep warm" setting on.
- Once done, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then manually release the remaining pressure.
- Fluff the rice with a spoon and add the frozen peas (after rinsing in warm water). Mix it well.
- Add onion greens and give it a mix.
- Cover the instant pot for a minute and then transfer the mushroom pulao to a serving bowl.
Make mushroom pulao on a stovetop
- Rinse rice under water until water runs clear.
- Heat a saucepan on medium high flame, once saucepan is hot, add oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and let them crackle. Add all the whole spices.
- Add the cashews and roast them for about 10-15 seconds until the cashews are slightly golden brown.
- Add the onions and saute for about 30 seconds until they turn translucent.
- Add the mushrooms and give a good mix.
- Add salt and continue to saute until mushrooms are soft and releases water.
- Add rice and give it a stir.
- Add 2 cup water and mix well.
- Cover with a lid (without venting hole) and cook for about 12 minutes on medium flame.
- Check after 12 minutes, rice will be cooked, if there is still water then cover it and allow to cook for a few minutes.
- Turn off the stove and add rinsed frozen peas and mix well and cover it again for 5 minutes.
- Garnish with onion greens while serving.
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