Brown Basmati Rice Pilaf with Baby Portobello Mushrooms and Edamame in Instant Pot

I bought the Instant pot this November, and since then I have been trying to experiment different recipes in it.  One thing I really find it useful is for cooking brown rice. Brown rice is so difficult to cook on stove or in Microwave (this is how I usually cook my white rice in) It is always not cooked correctly. So I decided to cook brown rice in it and after few experiments, when I had the recipe down for brown rice, I decided to make the brown rice pilaf first and then brown rice Biryani, which I am going to post next.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Basmati brown rice
• 2 and half cup of water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 table spoon Olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter.

• One yellow onion
• 5 green onions
• 4 oz of baby portobello mushrooms
• 1 cup of cooked shelled edamame

• 3 table spoon of Olive oil
• 2 teaspoon of cumin seeds
• 1" stick of Cinnamon
• 1-2 pods of dried red chilies
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon of Asefoetida (optional)
• 1/3 cup of roasted unsalted cashews 
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash and soak brown rice for 4-6 hours (if you don't have time to soak the rice, you may have to add more water and increase the cook time to 27-30 min instead of 25 min.
• Wash, Chop and prep onions, mushrooms and green onions.
• I used frozen shelled edamame, cook them in microwave per instructions on package.
• Turn the instant pot on and put it on saute mode.

• Add 3 tablespoon of olive oil to the instant pot container
• When oil is hot add cumin seeds
• When these crackle. add asefoetida followed by bay leaves, cinnamon stick and dried red chili pod.
• Add cashews stir it till slightly brown.
• Add onions, green onion, saute until caramelized.
• Add mushroom.

• Stir for 1-2 min and then add edamame
• Add salt.
• Cook for 1 min then empty the content in a bowl and set aside.

• Place the container back in Instant pot.
• Keep the setting at saute mode.
• Drain all the water out of rice.
• Add 1 table spoon of olive oil and one tablespoon of butter.
• Add rice and saute  for 1-2  min stirring it lightly. 
• Add water and salt.

• Close and lock the lid in place and press the manual button.
• In the newer version which I bought, the manual button is "Pressure cook" which is the last button on right side.
• Press that and set the timer by pressure the plus button to 25 min.
• Turn the steam release handle to "sealing"
• Once the pressure builds up, the clock will start counting down.

 

• Once the clock has counted down. allow the pressure to naturally  release for 10 min.
• Once the clock shows 10 min has passed, carefully release the remaining pressure and remove the lid.
• Fluff the rice with wooden fork /spoon or silicone spoon. 
• Transfer the rice in the serving casserole.  Mix and gently toss in the sauteed onions, mushroom and edamame.

Serve hot.
Enjoy !
Recipe and Photographs by Surekha