Easy Instant Pot Vegetable Biryani
Easy Vegetable Biryani made in the Instant Pot! Basmati rice cooked with spices and vegetable makes this biryani one of my favorite one pot meals. Packed with so much flavor, this biryani is also gluten-free!
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 1.5 tablespoon oil 22 ml
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 green cardamoms
- 4 whole cloves
- 6 black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 medium red onion 170 grams, sliced
- 1 green chili sliced, add more as per taste
- 12 raw cashews broken
- 2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste
- 1/2 cup frozen green peas soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
- 2 medium carrots 100 grams, sliced
- 1 medium potato 185 grams, diced into 1-inch pieces
- 1/3 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 cup basmati rice 200 grams, soaked in 2 cups water for 20 minutes
- 1.25 cups water 10 oz
Instructions
- Wash and rinse the basmati rice until water turns clear. Then soak it in 2 cups of water for 20 minutes. While the rice is soaking, chop all the veggies. Also soak the frozen green peas in warm water for 5-10 minutes. Once 20 minutes are up, drain the water from the rice and set it aside. Also drain the water from the green peas and set it aside.
- Press the saute button on the Instant Pot. Once it displays hot, add oil to the pot. To the hot oil, add bay leaf, green cardamom, whole cloves, black peppercorns and cumin seeds. Saute for 30 seconds until the spices are fragrant.
- Then add the sliced onions, along with green chili and cashews. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onion turns light brown. The cashews will also turn little brown by now.
- Add ginger-garlic paste and cook for 1 more minute. Add 1 tablespoon water at this point and deglaze the pot. Scrape and remove all the burnt bits that may have been there due to sauteing the onions. Don't skip this step else the pot might not come to pressure.
- Then add the vegetables - potatoes, carrots, green peas. Also add the chopped cilantro, garam masala, smoked paprika and salt.
- Add the drained rice to the pot and gently toss it all together with a spoon.
- Add water to the pot. Do not stir anything at this point.
- Close the pot with its lid and then press the manual or pressure cook button. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes with the pressure valve in the sealing position.
- Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and then release the remaining pressure manually. Open the pot and fluff the rice with a fork.
- Serve the biryani with a side of raita!
Notes
- Adjust spice levels to taste. Add cayenne pepper/red chili powder to make the biryani spicier.
- You may add fresh mint leaves to the biryani too in addition to cilantro.
- You may use ghee in place of oil if not making it vegan.
Nutrition
Calories: 566kcal | Carbohydrates: 93g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1011mg | Potassium: 512mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 10895IU | Vitamin C: 22.4mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 3.4mg