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Pressure Cooker Vegetable Biryani
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5 from 1 vote

Pressure Cooker Vegetable Biryani

A flavorful, easy and quick Pressure Cooker Vegetable Biryani that gets done in minutes, and is as luscious and indulgent as a longer-cooked version.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 300kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 cups rice
  • 1 ½ cups vegan yogurt (use coconut milk as a fair substitute)
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
  • 1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
  • 5 cloves garlic (minced or grated)
  • 1 inch knob ginger (grated)
  • 1 small head cauliflower (separated into florets)
  • 1 large carrot (cut into 1-inch pieces)
  • 2 large potatoes (cut into 1-inch chunks)
  • 1 cup green beans
  • ¼ cup mint leaves (chopped)
  • ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves
  • ¼ cup fried onions (like French's, or you can also find a version at Indian grocery stores. You can skip these, but a biryani really needs some fried onions for the perfect flavor.)
  • 1 teaspoon black cumin (shah jeera. Or substitute with regular cumin)
  • 5 green cardamom pods
  • 3 cloves
  • 2-3 bay leaves
  • 1 star anise
  • 2 teaspoon biryani masala
  • Juice of ½ lemon

Instructions

  • In the stovetop pressure cooker (mine is a 4-quart one), heat the oil.
  • Add the black cumin, cloves, cardamom, star anise and bay leaves and saute, stirring, for about a minute over medium-high heat.
  • Add the onions and saute until they start to change color and turn lightly golden.
  • Add the ginger and garlic and saute for a minute.
  • Add the potatoes, then the carrots, cauliflower, and green beans. Mix well and cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes over medium heat. Add the fried onions and stir well.
  • Add the biryani masala and the coconut milk along with the mint and coriander leaves. Mix well.
  • Add the water and salt to taste. You need to add enough salt at this time because you won't be able to mix in the salt after the biryani cooks.
  • Add the lemon juice and the rice. Mix well.
  • Pop on the pressure cooker lid, make sure it's set to pressure-cook (and not to steam), and let it come to pressure. (On my Fagor pressure cooker, there's a little yellow button that pops up when the cooker reaches pressure).
  • After pressure is reached, cook for three more minutes, then take the pressure cooker off heat.
  • Wait for the pressure to be released, and then slide open the lid carefully. Be sure you follow manufacturer instructions for your cooker.
  • Fluff the rice with a spoon and serve hot with some raita.

Notes

I used a stovetop pressure cooker for this recipe, but if you have an electric one or an Instant Pot, go ahead and use it. If your cooker has a "brown" function, you can proceed just as directed for the stovetop version, but if not, you will have to do part of your cooking on the stovetop-- up until the step where the vegetables are sauteed and cooked and the fried onions are stirred in. Then transfer the veggies to the electric cooker, add the biryani masala, coconut milk, lemon, rice, and salt. Set your pressure cooker timer to five minutes or as directed by your manufacturer.

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Potassium: 335mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1692IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 2mg