Paneer Biryani

Biryani is one the most beloved dishes in India. Hyderabad, India is the home town for Biryani. We get to varieties of biryani there. Biryanis can be Dum Cooked, Pressure Cooked, Oven Cooked or Pan Fried. As our blog is specially for vegetarian foodies I am sharing a yummy biryani with you that is Paneer Biryani. This biryani is Dum cooked. Dum cooking you will come to know in detail when you go through the recipe. Let's start :) Paneer is also know as Cottage Cheese.

Paneer Biryani

Ingredients

• 200 gms of paneer cubes
• 2 cups basmati rice (long grain rice)
• Half cup boiled peas
• 7-8 fried cashew nuts
• 1 cup onions
• 1 cup curd (yogurt)
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• Half tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 2 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp cumins seeds
• 4-5 cloves
• 4-5 pepper corns
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 2-3 chillies slit into two
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 2 tsp clarified butter
• 2-3 tsp milk 
• Few saffron strands
• 2-3 tsp finely chopped coriander leaves
• Salt as per taste
• 3-4 tsp oil

Recipe

Take curd in a bowl and add the dry spices turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala and salt as per taste. Add ginger garlic paste and a tsp of coriander leaves to it and mix well. Now add the paneer cubes into it, mix well and let them get marinated for 30 mins.

Wash rice and put it in a microwave safe bowl, add 2 cups of water and put it in microwave for 12 mins. (Our rice will be 80-85% cooked in this process) After its done take out the rice and spread in in a plate so it doesn't become soggy. Add salt to rice as per your taste.

Heat a tsp of oil in a pan and add onions and fry onions till they turn golden brown. Put them on a kitchen towel and keep them aside.

Take the milk and soak saffron strands in it, keep aside for sometime.

Heat 2 tsp oil n a broad pan and add cumin seeds, cloves, pepper corns, bay leaves and sauté them for few 30 seconds and lowering the flame to simmer add the marinated paneer and boiled peas to it and just toss them once. Spread the paneer mixture in the pan covering the base properly (simply we need to make the layer of paneer). Now spread the rice over it. Spread fried cashew nuts.

Now pour the milk and saffron mixture over it and also pour the clarified butter. Spread the fried onions and remain coriander leaves over it.

Cut the foil according to your pan size. Cover the pan with that foil and keep the lid over it.

Cook the biryani on a medium flame for 5 mins and later cook it on simmer flame for 10-15 mins. In between you can keep checking if the rice is cooked nicely.

Serve the biryani with yogurt, pickle of your choice or raita of your choice.