Mint – 2 tbsp finely chopped (to garnish) For the paneer masala:
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Black pepper powder – ½ tsp
Besan flour- 1 tbsp
Salt – 2 tsp
Paneer cubes – ½ cup For fried onions:
Onions – 2 small onions, ½ cup, sliced thinly
Cashewnuts – 6
Oil – to fry (3 - 4 tbsp) For rice masala:
Cashew nuts – 6
Khus khus (white poppy seeds) – ½ tbsp.
Cumin seeds/ jeera – ½ tbsp
Fennel seeds – ½ tbsp.
Coconut – 2 tbsp
Garlic – 4 pods
Ginger – 1 inch
Green chilli – 4
Mint – ½ cup, chopped finely
Coriander leaves – ½ cup, chopped finely.
Instructions
Wash and soak rice for atleast 30 -40 minutes. For Fried onions:
Heat a pan with oil, add the sliced onions and cook in medium heat till turn golden brown. Add cashews in the end and fry too. Stir in the middle so that it does not stick to the bottom. Set aside. for paneer:
Mix all the ingredients under “paneer masala” and add the paneer cubes. Heat a pan with 1 tbsp of butter. Now add the marinated paneer and coat till the paneer gets golden brown.
For masala:
Grind the garlic, ginger, mint, coriander, cashews,coconut(optional), poppy seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, chillis with two tbsp. of water into a smooth paste.
Now take a big pan, add oil or ghee in medium heat, add the spices (cardamom, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves), and then add the tomatoes and grinded paste and sauté them till the tomatoes are not raw and little mushy.
Now add the yogurt, chilli powder, biryani powder and mix well. I always move the skillet away from the heat when adding yogurt which prevents it from curdling.
Now after returning the skillet back to the stove, add the rice and salt and water. ( Quantity of water to be added is for one cup of rice , it is 1.5 cups of water). Mix well and close the lid tight and keep it in medium heat for 10 minutes. Now add the marinated paneer, fried onions and chopped mint for garnish and keep it in low for 5 minutes.
Drizzle the saffron and milk over the rice and Switch off, and keep it closed for another 5 minutes.They will help the paneer get the masala flavors from rice and vice versa.
Notes
1. You can skip the paneer marination and add paneer directly. 2. You can skip coconut while grinding and add coconut instead of water while boiling.
Recipe by Relish The Bite at https://www.relishthebite.com/paneer-biryani/