Instant Pot Biriyani

In 1992 work took our family to Singapore, where we had four years of adventures. There was just a bit of culture shock for us moving from Southeast Texas to Southeast Asia.  One of the things we had to adjust to was a complete lack of Mexican restaurants.  As far as I was concerned, one of the major food groups was now missing from the pyramid.  Then my new friend Deana introduced me to Indian food which quickly filled the gap and today is still one of our favorite cuisines.

This Instant Pot rcipe is very authentic and unbelievably fast to make.  It does call for a number of spices, but if you don't have them or don't want to do all that measuring, (even though it's worth it!) you'll have no trouble finding a premade biriyani spice mixture to order from the internet.  If you don't like spicy food, omit the serrano pepper and you'll get a very mild but savory dish.

You can use whatever meat suits your fancy,  although I would not use ground meat or fish.  Restaurants will sometimes throw in frozen mixed vegetables for color, but a veg or two on the side is more authentic.  Other traditional toppings are sliced banana, raisins, and/or mango chutney

Shown served with curry roasted cauliflower and a dollop of plain yogurt.  Very monochromatic!

The recipe is from the book pictured below.  $13 on Amazon. Every recipe we've tried from this book has been truly exceptional. 

I didn't do the oven roasted onions in steps 4&5.  I just sauteed onions in a cast iron skillet on the stove until they were caramelized.  

Beef Dum Biryani (Beef & Rice Casserole)

 SERVES 6

1 cup basmati rice

1/2 cup Greek Yogurt

1/2 cup minced onion

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons Garam Masala

1 3/4 teaspoons salt, divided

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 serrano pepper, seeded and minced

1 pound meat cubes: beef, chicken, pork or lamb

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon peanut oil

1 cup water

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Rinse the rice and set it aside. This will allow the rice to soften a bit and absorb some water.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, onion, cilantro, mint, ginger, garlic, garam masala, 1 teaspoon

of salt, turmeric, cayenne, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and serrano pepper. Add the meat and stir to coat the meat cubes with the marinade. Let the meat marinate for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to broil. Line a baking pan with

aluminum foil.

4. With your fingers, break apart the onion slices onto

the foil-lined pan. Add the remaining 3-4 teaspoon of salt and the peanut oil, and mix well.

5. Broil the onions for about 15 minutes, stirring once or twice, until they are well browned and crisp.

(Traditionally this is done in a pan on the stove, but it's quite a painstaking process. This method is largely hands-off and works well.) Set aside.

6. When the meat has finished marinating, pour the marinade, along with the lamb, into the inner cooking

pot of the Instant Pot. Spread the meat,  yogurt, and spice mixture to cover the bottom of the pot.

7. Carefully spread the rice over all the meat in a uniform layer.

8. Pour in the water and gently push down the rice until it's submerged under the water. Do not mix the lamb

and the rice together.

9. Lock the lid into place. Select Manual and adjust the pressure to High. Cook for 6 minutes.

10. When the cooking is complete, let the pressure release naturally.

11.  Unlock the lid and serve, topped with the browned onions and cilantro.