Grind the dry masala ingredients given under “To grind set 1.” First grind cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, mace, and nutmeg without adding water. Then add the green chillies and ginger, along with about 2 to 3 tbsp of water, and grind them together. Set aside. Wash and clean the mint and cilantro leaves, then pulse them together without adding any water. I noticed that when I added mint directly, we weren’t really eating it, so I started pulsing it once without water. Peel the onions and garlic, grind them together, and set aside.

Heat a wide pan or kadai and add oil and ghee. I used my Dutch oven to make this mushroom biryani. Once the ghee melts and becomes hot, add the ground onion–garlic paste along with the biryani masala.

Mix well, then cook until the raw smell dissipates and the oil begins to separate. Since we are using a lot of garlic and shallots, make sure they cook thoroughly until the raw smell goes away. I cooked this on medium heat, and it took about 12 minutes.

Then add the mushrooms and green peas and mix well. There is no need to add water as the mushrooms will release moisture.

Let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then add the salt and red chili powder. Mix well and cook for another couple of minutes.

Now add the yogurt and cook again until everything comes together and thickens slightly.

Add 4.25 cups of water and mix well.

Scrape the bottom and mix the vegetables and masalas well. Bring this mixture to a boil.

When the water starts boiling, add the lemon juice and the pulsed mint and cilantro mixture, and cook for a couple of minutes.

Now add the seeraga samba rice and cook for 5 minutes on a high flame.

Here is the biryani after 5 minutes of cooking.

Then cover the pan with a lid and cook on a low flame for 15 minutes.

Turn off the heat, partially open the lid, and let it sit for another 10 minutes. Then gently fluff the rice with a fork.

Serve hot with salna or kurma of your choice and raita.