Paneer Biryani recipe
Paneer Biryani is made by marinating paneer cubes and cooking them with fragrant spices and basmati rice using the pressure cooker method. Paneer dishes are a favorite at home, and after trying fried rice and pulao with paneer, I decided to make this biryani today. Though biryani typically takes some time to prepare, the delicious result makes it completely worth it.
Ingredients
- Basmati rice 1 and 1/2 cup
- Paneer cubes 1 to 1.5 cups
- Red chili powder 1 and 1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp
- Thick yogurt 2 tbsp
- Salt as needed
- Oil 3 tbsp.
- Ghee 2 tsp
- Green chili 1-2
- Coriander leaves + mint leaves one handful
- Ginger garlic paste 2 tsp
- Onion 2
- Tomato 1
- Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
- Saffron a pinch
- Milk 1 tbsp.
- Biryani masala 1 tsp
- Water 2 cups
Instructions
- Wash the basmati rice and soak it in 2 cups water for 20 mins.
- Soak saffron in warm milk.
- In a bowl add paneer cubes, thick yogurt, salt and 1 and 1/2 tsp red chili powder.
- If using frozen paneer immerse it in hot water for 10 minutes and then take out and marinate.
- Mix well and let this sit for 15 minutes.
- If the yogurt is not thick, put it in a tea strainer for 10 minutes and then add it to the paneer.
- Ensure that the yogurt is not sour.
- Chop the onions lengthwise and puree the tomato. Slit the green chili.
- In a pressure cooker add oil and ghee and add in the onions and green chili.
- Saute till golden brown,ensure not to burn it. Browning the onions gives a nice taste to the biryani, so patiently do it by cooking in a medium flame.
- Add the ginger garlic paste to this.
- Sauté till the raw smell goes off.
- Add the pureed tomato to this.
- Mix well and add the 1/2 tsp red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt,
- Cook in a medium flame, for a minute.
- Add the marinated paneer cubes.
- Gently mix well and let this cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the finely chopped coriander mint leaves to this.
- Add the biryani masala
- You can replace with garam masala too.
- Mix well and let this cook for a minute.
- Add the soaked basmati rice, keeping the water beside.
- Sauté the rice for a minute.
- Add the water and saffron milk.
- Mix well.
- Check for salt and masala. If you feel it is less, you can add little more biryani masala and salt.
- The key for checking is the masala water should taste slightly strong of spices and salt.
- Cover the pressure cooker and cook till one whistle.
- Then put this to a lowest flame possible and keep it for 5 minutes.
- Switch off the flame.
- Allow the pressure to release on its own.
- Open and gently give it a nice mix.
- Add chopped coriander leaves and give it a gently stir.
- Paneer biryani is ready to serve.
- Serve hot with onion raita.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!