As many of us lead busy lives, easy but healthy recipes are a must. In the case of my slow cooker biryani, the list of ingredients may seem long but don’t let it scare you as it’s quickly prepared and it will all end up in the same cooking pot! A good trick to save time is to chop everything in advance and store it in your refrigerator. I often do so on Sunday so that everything is ready for Monday evening when I arrive home.
Now, let’s talk rice. In this I recommend you use basmati rice for the authenticity but any regular (as in not express cooking rice) would do the job. Full disclosure: when I made the recipe to photograph, I ended up using jasmine rice as ran out of basmati and forgot to buy more.
There isn’t much left for me to say beside enjoy!

Slow Cooker Tofu Biryani
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 4 cloves
- 1/2 tsp caraway seeds or cumin seeds
- 1 onion sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp fermented ginger I use New Roots Herbal
- 1 block extra firm tofu cut into small cubes
- 4 tbsp yellow curry paste
- 1/2 head of cauliflower in florets
- 2 potatoes sliced
- 6 mushrooms quartered
- 2 to matoes diced
- handful fresh mint
- handful fresh coriander
- 1 cardamom pod
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- fresh lemon for topping
- plain coconut milk yogurt for topping
Instructions
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Drain and press your tofu for 10-15 minutes by wrapping the tofu in clean towels and placing a heavy object on top. Wash the rice and keep to one side
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In a saucepan over medium heat, warm 1 tbsp of coconut oil. Add the bay leaves, cloves and caraway seeds and fry for 1 minute
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Add in the onion, garlic and curry paste and cook for 2 minutes, until it starts to caramelize
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Then, add the potatoes, mushrooms, cauliflower and cook for 2 minutes. Finally, add the tomatoes, rice, mint, coriander, cardamom pod and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Turn the heat off.
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Cut the tofu into small cubes and lightly spray or grease the bottom of your slow cooker. Transfer everything to the slow cooker, including the tofu, and add the vegetable broth and fermented ginger.
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Cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.
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Serve with fresh lemon juice and a spoonful of coconut milk yogurt, with a little bit of fresh mint
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