Instant Pot Mushroom Yakhni – Kashmiri Mushroom is a delicious, warming vegetarian curry that’s perfect for lunch or dinner. It is made with yogurt and fragrant spices – a fast flavorful nourishing meal, that can be made in an Instant Pot!
What is yakhni?
Yakhni is a yogurt-based curry and is a signature Kashmiri dish. Some of the popular Yakhni dishes in Kashmiri cuisine include goat/lamb yakhni, chicken yakhni, lotus root (nadru) yakhni, mushroom yakhni, and several others. Yakhni is extremely delicious and does not contain red chili powder (cayenne pepper) or ground turmeric. Yakhni is made by adding whole spices such as dried bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon stick, black and green cardamom pods. Some of the ground spices used for Yakhni include ground fennel, ground ginger, asafoetida, and garam masala. Either cumin seeds or caraway seeds (shahi jeera) are used. Yogurt is key in making Yakhni. The yogurt needs to be at room temperature and whipped really well. I typically like to add 1.5 teaspoons of rice flour into the yogurt and whip it together. The rice flour makes the yakhni consistency thick.
What ingredients do I need to make Instant Pot Mushroom Yakhni – Kashmiri Mushroom?
An Instant Pot of-course!
Spices: Ground fennel, ground ginger, asafoetida, garam masala, cumin seeds or caraway seeds, dried bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon stick, black and green cardamom pods.
Yogurt: Full fat plain yogurt. The yogurt needs to be at room temperature. Take it out in a bowl at least an hour before you are about to start cooking. This step is key to prevent curdling of the yogurt. We will not pressure cook the yogurt. Instead, we will mix it with rice flour and slowly add it to the pressure-cooked mushroom. The yogurt needs to be added slowly with a large ladle and MIXED each time it is added. You need to make sure you mix for at least a minute and blend it with the gravy each time you add yogurt. If you don’t do this, the yogurt will likely curdle.
Mushrooms: 1 large pack of whole white button mushrooms (24 oz). This recipe has been shared with me by my aunt (dad’s sister). She believes that keeping the mushrooms whole makes the dish look better and I wouldn’t disagree. If you want to slice the mushrooms into two halves you can do that too. But I prefer whole mushrooms just like my aunt said 🙂
How are we going to make Instant Pot Mushroom Yakhni – Kashmiri Mushroom?
First wash the mushrooms well. Slit half an inch on the top/head of each mushroom. This will enable the spices to penetrate the mushrooms.
Prep:
Mix the rice flour and yogurt (at room temperature). Whip it with a spoon for about a minute. This step is key. The yogurt needs to be at room temperature. So keep the yogurt out of the refrigerator for at-least an hour before you start prepping.
Make a one inch slit on the head of the mushroom.
Select sauté, add the oil and whole spices (cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon stick cut into a 2 inch piece, black cardamom pods, green cardamom pods, caraway seeds, and asafoetida) into the inner pot.
When the caraway seeds splutter add the mushrooms. Sauté the mushrooms for about 2 minutes. Stir occasionally in order to prevent them from burning.
Add ground fennel, ground ginger, water, and salt. Stir. Make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot and scrape the bottom of the pot well.
Close the lid with the pressure release valve sealed. Cook at high pressure/manual for 4 minutes.When cooking is complete quick release the pressure. Select sauté and add the yogurt and rice flour mix one large spoon at a time. Keep mixing the gravy.
As soon as you add the spoon of yogurt and rice flour mix the gravy well for about 1 minute. Keep repeating until you finish adding all the yogurt and mixing for a minute every time you add the yogurt. The mixing step is key to prevent curdling of the yogurt.
Let it sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until the gravy boils and thickens. Keep stirring occasionally. Top it off with garam masala and dried fenugreek leaves.
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Instant Pot Mushroom Yakhni – Kashmiri Mushroom
Ingredients
- 24 oz pack of whole white button mushrooms (640 gms)
- 1 cup plain full fat yogurt at room temperature whipped with a spoon (keep it out of the refrigerator for one hour before you start cooking)
- 1.5 tsp rice flour
- 4 tbsp oil of choice
- 2 whole cloves
(laung)
- 2 dried bay leaf
(tej patta)
- 1 cinnamon stick
2 inch piece (dalchini)
- 2 whole black cardamom pods
(badi elachi)
- 1 to 2 whole green cardamom pods
(hari elaichi)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
or carraway seeds (jeera or shahi jeera) - 1/2 tsp asafoetida
(heeng)
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp ground fennel
(saunf powder)
- 1/2 tbsp ground ginger
(sonth)
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
(kasoori methi optional)
2 inch piece
Instructions
Prep
- Keep the yogurt in a bowl out of the refrigerator for an hour until it reaches room temperature.
- Whisk the yogurt and rice flour with a spoon for about a minute or two until it is well blended. Keep it aside.
- Wash the mushrooms well. Make 1 inch deep and wide slits on the head of each mushroom.
Cook
- Select sauté on the instant pot and adjust to normal.
- Add oil to the pot.
- When the oil is hot, add cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, black and green cardamom pods, caraway seeds, and asafoetida.
- When the caraway seeds splutter add the mushrooms.
- Sauté the mushrooms for about 2 minutes. Stir.
- Add water, ground fennel, ground ginger, and salt. Stir.
- Make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot and scrape the bottom of the pot well.
- Press cancel.
- Secure the lid on the pot and close the pressure-release valve.
- Select manual and cook at high pressure for 4 minutes.
- When cooking is complete, use quick pressure release to depressurize.
- Open the lid.
- Select sauté and add the whisked yogurt mixed with rice flour slowly (one spoon at a time) to the pot mixing it continuously. This step is key. Add one large spoon of yogurt/rice flour mix and mix it in the gravy for about a minute. Then another spoon and stir again for up-to a minute. Keep doing this until you run out of the yogurt/rice flour mix. The continual mixing will prevent curdling of the yogurt.
- When you are done adding all the yogurt mix, add garam masala and dried fenugreek leaves. Stir and let it sauté for about 8 to 10 minutes until the gravy thickens. Yakhni has a lot of gravy but the yogurt will thicken it. Keep stirring occasionally.
- Press cancel when the required consistency for the yakhni is reached. It should take between 3 to 4 minutes of sautéing with the yogurt mix.
- Transfer to a serving bowl. Discard the bay leaves.
Serve
- Serve over steamed rice.
Notes
- The whole spices (cardamom pods, cloves, and cinnamon stick can be discarded, they don’t need to be consumed).
Reminds me of stroganoff! Just finished it. What do I eat it with?