Compared to my last post, this pressure cooker biryani is an even faster version of this full-flavored Indian dish- very tasty but possibly a little less authentic.
There are a couple points to note in order for this dish to be a success. It is very important to use the largest shrimp available to prevent over-cooking. Secondly, when adding the water to the pot, it must be boiling in order for the rice to cook in the allotted time frame.
This recipe was adapted from The Complete Indian Instant Pot Cookbook by Chandra Ram via The New York Times, contributed by Melissa Clark. I increased the amount of garlic, omitted the curry leaves, and used a stove-top pressure cooker instead of an Instant Pot. Nice.
Yield: Serves 6
- 2 cups Basmati rice
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 Serrano chile, minced
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (I used 4 large cloves)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Chile powder, preferably Kashmiri (I used Ancho)
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 10 fresh curry leaves, torn into pieces, optional (if available)(can substitute curry powder, to taste)
- 1 ½ cups boiling water
- 1 ½ pounds jumbo shrimp (16 to 20 or fewer per pound, see note), peeled and deveined
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice, plus more wedges for serving
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Place the rice in a bowl and cover with 2 cups water. Let stand for 20 minutes, then drain and rinse.
- Heat oil in the pot of a pressure cooker (set to the sauté function set on high in an electric pot), until oil is shimmering.
- Add onion; cook for about 4 minutes, until softened.
- Stir in Serrano chile, ginger, garlic, salt, chile powder, turmeric, paprika and curry leaves (if using); cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Stir in boiling water; using a wooden spoon, stir, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in soaked rice, shrimp and tomatoes (with juice).
- Secure the lid and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. Quick-release the pressure (on my pot, I rotate the release valve 90 degrees), stir lime juice into the rice, then cover the pressure cooker with a kitchen towel and the lid; let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Give rice another stir, then taste and add more salt, if needed.
- Transfer to a platter, garnish with cilantro and serve with lime wedges on the side.
Note: Make sure to use jumbo shrimp or larger for this recipe. Look for “16/20” or “U/15” on the package; this indicates how many shrimp there are per pound.
thebrookcook 