BROWN RICE MUSHROOM BRIYANI

Ingredients:
1. Brown rice, 1 cup, washed, and soaked for half an hour.
2. Mushrooms, 1 cup, sliced thinly. I have used baby portabella mushrooms here.
3. Onions, large, 1, diced finely.
4. Tomatoes, 2, chopped into small pieces.
5. Green chilies, 2, slit into two.
6. Ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon.
7. Chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon.
8. Briyani masala powder, 1 tablespoon. Alternatively whole spices like 2 small cinnamon sticks, 2 cardamom, 2 cloves, half a teaspoon of fennel seeds, 1 star anise, and 2 bay leaves can be used. The whole spices need to the fried in a tablespoon of oil before adding in the onions and starting on the dish.
9. Salt as per taste.
10. Curry leaves and cilantro for garnishing.


Preparation:
Heat a pan with a tablespoon of oil. Add the diced onions and sauté for a few minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the diced tomatoes, curry leaves, and ginger-garlic paste and keep sautéing until everything is well blended.  Add the chili powder, biryani masala, and salt and mix everything well. Add the sliced mushrooms now, mix everything well, and cook under low-to-medium flame until the mushrooms are cooked.  If cooking the rice in the same pot or pan, add 2 cups of water and cook closed under low-to-medium flame until the rice is cooked. If cooking in a electric rice cooker, add 2 cups of water and set in the cooking mode (or brown rice mode). In case of pressure cooker, add 2 cups of water and cook for 2 whistles for 10 minutes.