The Paneer Biryani Recipe is quite famous for its unique taste and aroma, which comes from marinated, flavorful paneer and Basmati Rice. This fantastic vegetarian Biryani is great for everyday and even special occasions. So let’s get started. All the ingredients and instructions you need to make this excellent Biryani are mentioned below.
Ingredients for Paneer Biryani Recipe
For Marination:
- 15 pieces of Paneer/ Cottage cheese
- 1 cup yogurt
- two tablespoons of biryani masala
- 1 teaspoon of ginger garlic paste
- ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder (haldi)
- ¾ teaspoon of Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1.5 teaspoons of coriander powder (dhania powder)
- one teaspoon salt (namak)
- two tablespoons of lemon juice
- 1-2 tablespoons of cooking oil
- one red onion
- one bell pepper/ capsicum
- 2 tbsp of chopped mint and coriander chopped
For Biryani Masala
- one tablespoon of biryani masala
- six green chilis (hari mirch)
- two tablespoons ginger garlic paste (adrak lehsun paste)
- 1/3 cup of cooking oil
- three tablespoons of ghee
- 1 star anise (badyan ka phool)
- Half cinnamon stick (darchini)
- 2- 3 cloves (laung)
- 2-3 green cardamom (green elaichi)
- 2 cups of chopped medium-sized onions (pyaz)
- two medium chopped tomatoes (tamatar)
- two teaspoons of red chili powder (lal mirch powder)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder ( haldi powder)
- one tablespoon coriander powder (dhania powder)
- one tablespoon of crushed roasted cumin seeds (jeera)
- ½ tablespoon or to taste salt (namak)
- 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
- ½ water or as required
- ½ cup whisked yogurt (dahi)
- 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped coriander(dhania)
- 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped mint leaves (pudina)
- ¼ cup of fried onion (pyaz)
- 10-12 fried cashew nuts
- 20 fried raisins
- 2 tbsp saffron milk
For Biryani Rice:
- 1kg Basmati rice (soaked for 20 minutes)
- 2 tablespoons of ghee
- 5- 6 cups of water
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 2-3 green cardamom pods
- 2-inch piece of cinnamon
- 2- 3 cloves
- Salt to taste
Boil the rice until it’s 70% cooked. Drain water and set aside.
Instructions:
For Marinade:
Add all the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl and mix well. Now toss paneer cubes, chopped onion, and bell pepper into the mixture and make sure they are evenly coated. Cover the bowl and let the marinade set aside for 30 minutes.
Cooking the rice:
- Use aged Basmati rice, soak it for 30 minutes, and drain it.
- Heat a pot, pour 6 cups of water, one teaspoon of cooking oil and all the aromatic spices and allow the water to boil.
- Now add the rice and let them boil until they are half cooked.
- At this stage, carefully drain the rice and let it cool for later use.
For Biryani Masala:
- Add 3-4 tablespoons of cooking oil and one tablespoon of ghee in a biryani pot. Saute bay leaf, star anise, pod black cardamom, mace, pods cardamom, and jeera.
- Next, add thinly sliced onions and fry them until golden brown.
- Next, add tomatoes and cook until they turn out soft and mushy.
- Add the marinated paneer and some crispy onions and saute well.
- Saute for 2-3 minutes, then cook them covered on low flame until the oil separates from the sides. Don’t overcook the paneer, as it turns rubbery.
Layering:
- Separate the gravy in two parts and top the paneer masala with the first layer of rice.
- Drizzle some fried onions, mint leaves, and coriander leaves.
- Layer the remaining paneer masala and rice again, and sprinkle some fried onions, mint leaves, and saffron milk.
- Add a tablespoon of ghee, cover it tightly with a heavy lid, and let it cook on dum for 10- 15 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld. Make sure the flame is low.
- Allow Biryani to sit for a while, then serve it with raita. Make sure every portion gets an equal serving of masala and rice.
The Paneer Biryani is ready!
Also try: Delicious Bezawada Biryani Recipe, Authentic Raju Gari Kodi Biryani