I love Briyani but it usually means lots of dishes to clean up once done. Typically I would make the rice in a separate pot, maybe steam and fry potatoes separately then fry the spices and combine the ingredients. There are still prep dishes to wash with the Instant Pot version but a few less and quicker to cook of course. The cook time was like 16 min - 20 min and the flavors infused perfectly.
As you may have seen in previous posts - I am more of a practical cook where if I don’t have the ingredients, I improvise and use what’s on hand. For this briyani I used long grain basmati rice and frozen mixed vegetables - the outcome was delicious. If however you prefer to use fresh vegetables you can do that instead.
Also I should mention that South African Indian style briyani is slightly different than India Indian style briyani. In South Africa we typically do not use nuts or raisins in the dish and the flavor is slightly different. My preference is the South African Indian style but it is not easy to purchase ready made in the USA so I usually make my own. Briyani goes perfectly with dhal drizzled on the top or raita on the side. Sides of salad, pickled mango or lemon also compliment the dish nicely.
I soaked the rice in enough water to cover it for about 15-20 min while I prepared everything else. Onions can be sliced thin and long or diced into cubes depending on your preference. Too much onion can make the dish too sweet so for this dish one large onion is enough. I also measured out my spices ahead of time. This is something I usually don’t do and end up just throwing them in the pot direct from the jars as I cook. This time I knew I was going to blog the recipe so I wanted to record the measurements so I laid them out ahead of time.
If possible, once cooked and serving out the dish, remove any of the whole spices you can ESPECIALLY the cardamom. We call cardamon "elachi" and biting into an elachi while eating briyani is the WORST. There are thousands of memes depicting the horrors of biting into an elachi even though it is SO necessary for the flavor. I have seen some of these spice bags that can be used in cooking then removed at the end. The next time I will fry the whole spices in the oil to release the flavor and then put them in a spice bag for the pressure cooking.
I happened to have smaller potatoes on hand, so I peeled and cut them into quarters. I used a little food coloring to give them a little extra color. Thankfully I had my helper pick off the mint leaves and cilantro leaves as we chatted about his day.
After frying the onions and garlic in the butter/oil combo, I added the potatoes for a quick dip in the oil. I wanted to give it that fried coating without cooking them at all so it was literally a quick 1-2 min for a slight browning.
I then removed the potatoes, added the spices to fry being careful not to burn and then switched the Saute mode off. I added the vegetables and gently scraped the bottom of the pot with a scratch proof spoon.
Very Important: Make sure the bottom of the pot is clear and smooth of any solid pieces stuck to it before pressure cooking. Add a little water if need and mix gently to loosen any onions or spices etc that may have started to stick.
I then added the drained rice, lentils, mint and salt and mixed. I am still a little nervous using the Instant Pot so i did some research on cook times of the rice and potatoes ahead of time. Since the potatoes had a shorter cook time, I placed them on the top at the end while making sure the rice was submerged in the water. I then sealed and pressure cooked on high for 6 minutes.
Now if I am being completely candid, I got a bit stressed at the end since the Instant Pot displayed "burn" near the end of the 6 minute cook time. I immediately switched the pot off and did the quick release. To my pleasant surprise when I opened the pot it was beautifully cooked and blended! The "burn" came on because a tiny amount had caught on the bottom - if this does happen DO NOT scrape the bottom when serving.
We were all eager to taste this experimental dish and it turned out great. It was very quick to cook and the rice and potatoes absorbed all the flavors perfectly. Now that I have done it, I know the next times will be even quicker since I know what to expect.
One Pot Vegetable Briyani using Instant Pot Recipe
Yield ~ 6 servings
Prep time ~ 20 min
Cook time ~ 20 min
Ingredients:
2 cups long grain basmati rice
water to soak the rice
16 oz frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, corn, green beans, peas)
1 large onion (diced or finely sliced)
2 cinnamon sticks
2 bay leaves
2 cardamom pods
2 cloves
1.5 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
3 Tbsp Durban Red Masala/Red curry powder
4 small potatoes (peeled, quartered and optionally colored lightly with yellow food coloring)
2-3 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup brown/black lentils
salt to taste (I used 2.5 tsp)
4 Tbsp finely chopped mint
2 Tbsp olive/vegetable oil
1 Tbsp butter
2.5 cups water for pressure cooking
cilantro for garnish
Method
Rinse the rice. Soak rice in enough water that the rice is covered and set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. ~20min
Turn on the Instant Pot on Saute mode and add oil and butter.
Add onions and fry for about 5 min until translucent.
Add garlic and potatoes. Fry potatoes for ONLY 1-2 min to get a slight fried coating. DO NOT cook potatoes. Remove potatoes from oil after the 1-2 min fry leaving the onions, garlic and butter-oil combo in the pot.
Add all the spices and ginger and fry for 2 - 3 min being very careful not to burn, mixing frequently. Turn off the pot.
Add vegetables and mix, gently loosening anything stuck to the bottom of the pot (add a little water is necessary)
Add rice, lentils, mint, salt and mix. Add the 2.5 cups of water and mix. Place potatoes on the top.
Seal and pressure cook for 6 min. Quick release. Serve with dhal drizzled on the top and sides of salad, raita, mango or lemon pickle.
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