Instant Pot Vegetable Biryani

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup Basmati Rice long grain, soaked for 20 minutes in 2 cups water
• 3 tablespoon Milk (use water for vegan)
• 1 pinch Saffron (Kesar) few strands
• 1 ½ tablespoon Ghee (use oil for vegan)
• 10 Cashews
• 10 Raisins
• ½ Onion large size, finely sliced, about 1.25 cup
• 1 teaspoon  Garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon  Ginger grated
• ¼  cup  Plain Yogurt whisked (skip for vegan or use vegan yogurt)
• 2 tablespoon Mint leaves (Pudhina) finely chopped
• ¼ cup  Fried Onions divided (skip for gluten-free or use gluten-free fried onions)
• 1 ¼ cup Water
• 2 tablespoon Cilantro leaves finely chopped

Whole Spices

• 3 Green Cardamom (Elaichi)
• 4  Cloves (Laung)
• 8  Black Peppercorns
• 1 stick Cinnamon (Dalchini) 1 inch long
• 1 Bay leaf (Tej Patta)
• 1 teaspoon  Cumin seeds (Jeera)

Vegetables

• 1 Potato  medium sized, cut in ¾ inch chunks, about 1 cup.
• ½ cup  Green Peas  fresh or frozen
• 1 cup Cauliflower cut in large florets about 1.5-2 inch
• ½ cup Red bell pepper sliced about 1 inch lengthwise
• ½ cup  Carrots  sliced in thin strips
• ½ cup Green Beans cut in 1 inch pieces

Ground Spices

• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder adjust to taste
• ¼ teaspoon  Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
• 1  teaspoon  Garam Masala
• 1 teaspoon Salt adjust to taste

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Rinse the rice and soaking for 20 minutes. Then drain and keep aside.
• Warm the milk slightly and soak the saffron in it.
• Start the pressure cooker in sauté mode and heat ghee in it. Add cashews and raisins and saute them till lightly roasted. Take out and reserve for later.
• Add all the whole spices and saute for 30 seconds.
• Add sliced onions and sauté for about 6 minutes until they have the golden brown color. You can save some to garnish if you like.
• Add ginger, garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Press cancel and turn off the saute mode.
• Add all the vegetables, yogurt and spices. Mix well and scrape anything stuck to the bottom of the pot.
• Now spread the veggies at the bottom of the pot. Top with mint leaves, and half of the fried onions. Do not mix.
• Now spread the rice evenly over the veggies. Sprinkle saffron milk on top of the rice. Do not mix.
• Add the water for cooking on top such that the rice is just immersed under water. Do not stir the ingredients. Close lid with vent in sealing position.
• Change the instant pot setting to manual or pressure cook mode at low pressure for 6 mins. After the instant pot beeps, quick release the pressure manually.
• Open the pot and fluff the rice gently with a fork. Top the biryani with the remaining fried onions and cilantro leaves. Top with reserved cashews and raisins. Cover with the lid and let it rest for 5 more minutes.
• Serve hot with yogurt or raita and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.