Ingredients: cups Basmati rice, grams Paneer (Homemade Cottage Cheese) - cut into cubed, Onions - thinly sliced, Tomatoes - finely chopped, inch Ginger, cloves Garlic, Green Chillies, teaspoon Red Chilli powder, teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi), teaspoon Coriander Powder (Dhania), Cloves (Laung), inch Cinnamon Stick (Dalchini), Cardamom (Elaichi) Pods/Seeds, Bay leaves (tej patta), teaspoon Whole Black Peppercorns, sprig Mint Leaves (Pudina) - finely chopped, tablespoons Ghee, - to taste, Oil - for cooking, High Protein Vegetarian diet
Instructions: To begin making the Paneer Biryani Recipe, prepare all the ingredients and keep them ready for cooking.Wash and rinse the rice in water and keep aside.Using a mixer grinder, make a paste of the garlic, ginger and green chilies and keep aside.Make a powder of the spices - cloves, cardamom, pepper and cinnamon and keep aside.Heat ghee in the pressure cooker over medium heat; add the onion and saute until . Add the ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw smell goes away. Add the tomatoes and keep stirring in the ghee (add more if too dry) and cook until it becomes soft.Once the tomatoes are soft, add the bay leaves, turmeric powder, chili powder and the spice powders. Stir well for a few minutes until you can smell the aromas coming through. Once done add the chopped mint leaves and the rinsed rice.Add 3 cups of water, paneer and salt to taste and cover the cooker. After one whistle turn the heat to low. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes on low heat and turn off the heat.Allow the pressure cooker to release its heat gradually, as the rice will continue to get cooked in the cooker.Once the pressure is released, open the cooker, wait for a few minutes and then stir to combine the rice and masalas and the Paneer Biryani is ready. Serve the Paneer Biryani along with a favorite Mooli Raita and Bagara Baingan to make a wholesome and complete meal. The Paneer Biryani also makes an excellent lunch box idea or even a weeknight dinner.