One of the most popular vegetarian sources of protein are Mushrooms. With so many varieties available they are very popular amongst Chefs for creating a variety of recipes. And Mushroom Pulao/Pilaf is one such loved recipe introduced to me by a Chef.

Before I take you down the memory lane and share my story about this one Pot Mushroom Pulao, let us take a few minutes to understand the varieties of mushrooms there are and their uses.

Kinds of Mushroom and how best to use them

Cremini mushroom with its delicate texture make for great stir fries and even raw in salads. Portobello is bigger and has a richer and meatier taste and I love to use them in vegetarian versions of chicken curries and are also great for grilling. Shittake with their thicker stems can be used similarly. Portobello are also a great vegetarian substitutes in burgers with their big caps.

Enokis are great for stir fries, salads and hot pot. Porcini have a woodsy flavour and are great in pasta sauces and risottos; basically quite popular in Italian and French cooking.

The most exotic variety is Morels which have rich nutty flavour and spongy structure that helps absorb sauces. They are not quite commonly available and also quite expensive (also USD 500 a kilo according to this article by South China Morning Post).  With a honeycomb appearance they are quite pretty to look at too! They are delicious on omelettes and steaks.

Memories of Khumb Pulao

I first tried morels during my stint with Taj Hotels when one of my Chefs invited me to try his special Khumb Pulau. I was in awe of the flavours that dish had to offer. It was nothing like anything I had tasted ever before and needless to say I tried to coax the said Chef to share the recipe but as one would guess-failed. It was one of his prized possessions and no way he was going to share it with me.

I did learn about morels from him though and that the best ones come for Kashmir and are pretty hard to forage. If I remember correctly the pulaao had a few kinds of mushrooms but morels imparted the most beautiful flavours.

I have since seen them here in Hong Kong wet markets but never been too sure to pick some. However the taste of Morel Pulaao has stayed with me and that is what inspired me to create this One Pot Mushroom Pulaao recipe.

I have used Shittake, Portobello and Cremini varieties in this recipe but if you do manage to lay your hands on Morels do swap some of the other mushrooms with equal quantities of Morel.

Tips to Make Perfect One Pot Mushroom Pulao:

1. Use good quality vegetarian broth. Chicken broth can be used too but that overpowers the flavours of mushroom sometimes (depending on the brand). Hence I recommend sticking to vegetarian
2. Before you make this pulaao I suggest you test your brand of basmati rice separately to see the amount of liquid(water/broth)  it needs to cook just right (not too mushy and not too hard). The ratio of rice to liquid is usually 1:2 but can also be 1:1.5 in some cases
3. Roast the nuts in some ghee before using them as garnish for extra richness or you could just dry roast them to keep it light and healthy
4. It tastes even better the day after so if you are planning to make it for a gathering or party make it the night before and then store in a wide glass container so that the grains do not pile up too much and make the bottom layers mushy
5. If for some reason you end up adding too much liquid , turn off the heat when the rice is 90% cooked (remember we do not want overcooked rice for pulaao); then using a strainer bring out the cooked rice and spread on a parchment lined baking sheet and let cool to room temperature. Then refrigerate for a few hours before reheating and serving
6. It is always a good idea to reheat pulaao in a shallow baking dish in a preheated oven at 145 degrees. Spread the rice evenly. Then sprinkle some water/vegetable stock all over the rice, cover tightly with foil, poke a few holes into the foil and heat stirring occasionally with a fork for even distribution of heat. Around 15-20 minutes should be enough
7. Add salt while taking into account that the vegetable stock would be already seasoned

Ingredients for One Pot Mushroom Pulao

1. Long grained Basmati Rice: 2 cups
2. Vegetable stock: 3 cups (or as needed based on the brand of rice. Refer to point 2 under Tips)
3. Shittake Mushrooms, sliced : 1.5 cups
4. Portobello Mushrooms, sliced: 1 cup
5. Cremini Mushrooms, sliced: 1/4 cup
6. Sesame Oil: 2 tbsp
7. Dry roasted or ghee roasted chopped nuts and raisins (almonds, pistachios, cashews): 2.5 tbsp
8. Ghee- 2 tbsp
9. Ginger, finely chopped: 4 tbsp
10. Spring Onions, finely chopped: 2 tbsp
11. Salt and freshly ground pepper to season

Method to make One Pot Mushroom Pulao

1. Preheat oven to 145 degrees Fahrenheit
2. In a thick bottomed wok bring the veg stock to boil , add ghee and season with some salt and add pre-washed rice . Cook on a medium flame until just done; spread on a parchment lined baking tray and set aside
3. In the same wok, heat oil and add ginger and sauté for a minute or two until raw smell disappears. Then add mushrooms. Add Shittake first as it takes the longest to cook, followed by Portobello and Cremini. Give each kind of mushroom 5 minutes to cook before adding the next variety. Keep the flame medium-low, spread out the mushrooms well and avoid stirring them too much . We do not want to overcook the shrooms and want to retain the crunch. The process shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes
4. Turn off the heat and add spring onions and mix gently
5. While the rice and mushrooms are cooking, coarsely chop nuts and raisins and roast on a low flame in some ghee till lightly browned and keep aside
6. Add cooked mushrooms and spring onions to cooked rice and mix gently with a flat spatula or fork
7. Cover the baking tray with rice tightly with foil and poke few holes into it all over using a toothpick
8. Let it sit in the oven for 7 minutes at 145 degrees to absorb flavours (time might vary depending on the oven), then bring out and add roasted nuts and raisins and freshly ground black pepper
9. Serve right away with a side of raita

Some other Pulao/Pilaf recipes you may like:

Methi Pulaao | Fresh Fenugreek Leaves

Prawn Pulao Recipe | Easy Recipe with Coconut Milk

Tandoori Cauliflower Pulao | Tandoori Gobi Rice Recipe

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