Vanilla & Masala

Recently I have been obsessed with converting all Indian dishes I cook on the stove to recipes I can easily cook in an Instant Pot. But making Biryani in the Instant pot was something I was reluctant to try because I always use an open pot method to cook the rice. In fact I cook all my rice using this method. This gives me the flexibility to test the rice grain by hand to see how ‘done’ it is. Because I am not aware of a technical term like ‘al dente’ for cooking rice to the desired “bite”, I will take the liberty to say that I cook my rice ‘al dente’ before mixing it with the other biryani components. However, this post is my 1st attempt at making Tofu Biryani in an Instant Pot and the outcome was quite good. The rice turned out fluffy i.e. not soggy – an outcome I was scared of the most. But as an afterthought its the amount of water that you add which matters the most.

Ingredients

• 14 oz extra firm tofu
• 1 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onions
• 1/3 cup shredded carrots
• 1/3 cup frozen/fresh peas
• 4-5 baby potatoes cut into quarters
• 1 tbsp garlic minced
• 1/4 cup yogurt
• 8-10 whole cashews
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander chopped
• 3 tbsp oil (reserve some of this oil for the baked tofu)
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cloves
• 1 black cardamom
• 2 green cardamom
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 2 tsp biryani masala (store bought)
• 1 tsp garam masala (store bought)
• 1 tsp ground turmeric powder
• 2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin

Method

• Start with baking the tofu.¹
• Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.²
• First press the tofu with a paper towel to remove excess liquid. Next slice it length-wise and then cut into even sized cubes. In a mixing bowl, add the tofu cubes and coat it with a mix of half of the amounts of ground spices mentioned above in a teaspoon of oil.
• Bake the tofu for 30-45 minutes on a baking sheet layered with a parchment or foil. Turn the tofu cubes midway during baking time so that all the sides are baked evenly.
• Meanwhile, wash and soak the rice in water and keep it for 30 minutes.
• At the Sauté setting of the Instant Pot, heat the oil.
• Add the whole spices in the order mentioned in the list above. Now add the cashews and fry them till they turn golden brown. Remove the cashews and add the thinly sliced onions. Fry until golden brown. Now add the minced garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes. Next add the peas, shredded carrots and potato cubes and fry them for another couple of minutes. Add the rest of the ground spices and mix for another minute. At this point you can add a little water if you think the spices are burning.
• Next add the baked tofu and mix. Turn the instant pot off and let it cool a bit before you add the yogurt and mix.
• Drain the rice and add it to the pot. Add the same amount of water as rice. Another way to prevent adding excess water is to make sure there is just enough water to cover the top of the rice.
• Now use the manual settings of the instant pot to cook the biryani. Close the lid and select high pressure. Let the rice cook under pressure for 6-7 minutes. Now let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and then release the pressure by turning the pressure to vent.
• Open the lid and garnish the biryani with fried cashews and chopped coriander if required.
• Serve as is or with yogurt raita on the side.

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