Butternut Squash and Mushroom Biryāni

Name: Butternut Squash and Mushroom Biryāni
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Cuisine: Iranian
Ingredients: 3 cloves; ¼ teaspoon fresh garam masālā; 1 tablespoon grated ginger; ¼ cup (60 ml) unsweetened nondairy milk (such as oat or soy); 1 teaspoon neutral oil, such as sunflower; ¾ cup (180 g) unsweetened plain nondairy yogurt; 3 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro; 3 tablespoons roughly chopped mint; Freshly chopped fennel fronds; Freshly chopped cilantro and/or mint; 1½ cups (300 g) white bāsmati rice or biryāni rice; 1 black cardamom pod, optional; 1 to 2 small pieces mace, optional; 4 green cardamom pods; 1 bay leaf; 2 teaspoons ground coriander; ¼ teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 1 cinnamon stick (3 inches/7.5 cm); 1 tablespoon neutral oil; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, optional; 8 ounces (230 g) cremini mushrooms or desired variety, sliced ¼-inch/6 mm thick (about 3 cups); 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced (about 2 cups/200 g), optional; 2 yellow onions, thinly sliced (about 4 cups/600 g); ½ teaspoon salt; 6 garlic cloves, minced (about 1½ tablespoons); 2 teaspoons neutral oil; 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch/2.5 cm pieces (about 2 cups/300 g); 1 teaspoon rose water or kewrā water, optional

Preparation info

Serves
6 to 8

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
2 hr 30

Appears in

Plant-Based India

By Sheil Shukla

Published 2022

About

Biryāni is a fragrant layered rice dish of Persian and Moghul origin that is frequently made with meat. This soul-warming autumnal version (a crown jewel of this cookbook) has seared mushrooms and roasted butternut squash. Caramelized onions play a key role in developing the layers of flavor in a good biryāni, and I use a combination of fennel and onion, which further heightens the seasonal flavors. Time is an important ingredient, too, as each component is treated with care and is individu