Paneer Dum Biryani

If there is one rice dish that I absolutely love its Biryani. A good Biryani has got to be fragrant, juicy in its own way and needs to have the perfect balance of rice, spices and the veggies/meat.

Being a vegetarian I often get to hear that “Biryani veg nahi Hoti, Veg Pulao hota hai”… I always say… excuse me… Vegetarian Biryani takes equal amount of effort, skill and prep and is made in the exactly same manner as its Non- Vegetarian counterpart. In all its essence… A Vegetarian Biryani is as authentic as your Chicken/ Mutton Biryani.

Biryani has various avatars if I may say so, there is a Luckhnavi Biryani, Hyderabadi Biryani and a Persian Biryani. I have tried all and it’s difficult to choose which is my favourite. So when cooking a humble pot of Biryani at home I tend to mix all three versions and have come up with a fabulous recipe.

Today, I’ll be sharing a Paneer Biryani recipe, but you can add veggies in it as well. Its super simple and extremely flavourful. Give it a try this weekend and I’m sure your folks will love it.

• Servings: 3-4
• Time: 60 minutes each of prep & marination
• Difficulty: medium
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Ingredients

For the marination

• 1 1/2 cup thick curd/greek yoghurt
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp deghi/ kashmiri mirch
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 200 gm paneer cut into cubes
• 2 medium onions sliced
• 2 medium tomatoes chopped into small cubes

For the rice

• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 black cardamom
• 5-6 cloves
• 2-3 green cardamoms
• 1 1/2 cup Full Basmati Rice
• 5 cups water

Other ingredients

• 1 small onion sliced
• 2 tbsp milk
• 4-5 strands saffron
• 2 tbsp chopped mint leaves
• 6 tbsp ghee
• 1 tbsp each cashew-nut & raisins (optional)
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1-2 bay leaves
• Handful of whole-wheat dough for sealing the pan/matka

How is it made

1. Mix together all the ingredients of the marination and let it sit in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
2. Wash & soak the rice in water for 30 minutes.
3. Then add in all the spices and cook the rice till half cooked.
4. Drain the water and let the rice cool- do not stir to avoid any rice breakage.
5. Deep fry the sliced onions(1 small onion) till golden brown and set aside.
6. If you are using cashews then fry them as well.
7. Soak the saffron in the milk and set aside.
8. In a pan heat 2 tbsp oil, add in the cumin & bayleaf.
9. Sauté for 15-20 seconds & then add in the marinated mix.
10. Cook on medium flame for 3-4 minutes, stirring in between to avoid the mix from catching the bottom of the pan.
11. To assemble take a deep dish/ matka.
12. Layering in the matka-

Spoon 1/3 of the rice into the matka and gently press with wet hands to form a smooth layer.

Spoon over it half of the marinade mix.

Sprinkle 2 tbsp ghee, a few nuts and mint leaves on top.

Repeat the above steps once more.

For the final layer- Spoon the remaining rice on top

Gently press again with wet hands to smooth the top.

Now sprinkle the saffron milk on top.

Sprinkle a few fried onion slices, nuts and mint leaves.

Last comes the 2 tbsp ghee- sprinkle on the top layer.

Close the lid of the matka and seal with atta/ dough.

To cook- you can either bake it in the oven at 150°C for 15 minutes, or you can cook it over a tawa on the gas stove for 20 minutes.

13. Layering in a Pan

• Spoon half of the marinate mix in the pan, add 1/4 cup water and mix well.
• Now layer half of the rice on top & gently press with wet hands to form a smooth layer.
• Sprinkle 3 tbsp ghee on the rice, some nuts and mint leaves.
• Now layer the remaining marinate mix on the rice.
• For the final layer add the remaining rice & gently press again with wet hands to form a smooth layer.

Now sprinkle the saffron milk on top.

Sprinkle a few fried onion slices, nuts and mint leaves.

Last comes the 3 tbsp ghee- sprinkle on the top layer.

Close the lid of the pan and seal with atta/ dough.

To cook , heat a large tawa and put the pan on top of the tawa. Allow to cook on medium flame for 20 minutes.

14. To serve -break the dough seal, mix through the biryani gently and serve with salan or raita.