Matar Paneer Biryani

I'm sure everyone must have tasted matar paneer as main course gravy but you must have not tasted in form of biryani !! Yes you read it right...in form of biryani...Matar Paneer Biryani !!!Matar Paneer Biryani is tasty twist to the authentic Biryani. 

RECIPE:

Preparation Time: 20 mins

Cooking Time: 40-45 mins

Ingredients

For rice:

• Biryani Rice/ long grain rice: 1 cup
• Clove: 1
• Cinnamon piece/stick: 1/2 "
• Bay leaf: 1
• Cardamom: 1-2
• Coriander leaves: few strings( finely chopped)
• Mint leaves:few strings( finely chopped)
• Cumin seed: 1/2 tsp
• Ghee 2-3 tbsp

For the Matar Paneer gravy:

• Peas: 1/3 cup
• Paneer: 100 grm ( cut in cubes)/ 1 cup
• Tomato: 1 small ( finely chopped)
• Onion: 1 small ( finely chopped)
• Ginger-garlic-green chilli paste: 1 tsp
• Chilli pwd: 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric pwd: 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala pwd: 1/2 tsp
• Kitchen king masala: 1/2 tsp( optional)
• Curd: 1/3 cup
• Fried onion(prepared from 1 small onion)
• Fried cashew nut: 10-15 pcs
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves: few string ( finely chopped)
• Oil to cook

Method:

For rice:

• Clean and wash the rice. Soak the rice for 15 mins. Drain and keep aside.
• In a large pan, boil 3 cups of water with clove, cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom and salt and then add the rice. Cover and cooked the rice till 85-90% done. Drain and keep aside.
• Heat the ghee in kadai/pan and add cumin seed, once they start spluttering then add ginger-garlic-green chili paste, cook for few sec and then add rice. Mix well. turn off the heat. Keep aside.

For Paneer Gravy:

• Take the cubed paneer and  immerse them in a bowl of warm water.This process will keep the paneer cubes soft.
• Heat the oil in a Kadai/pan and cumin seed, once they start spluttering then add the onion, cook for 2-3 mins and add ginger-garlic- green chlli pastes and fry for a while.

• Add the chopped tomato and cook till tomatoes are soft and then add the red chilli pwd, turmeric pwd , garam masala pwd, kitchen king masala and salt. mix well. Cook for another another 2-3 mins.

• Add the paneer and peas, mix well
• Add the curd and coriander leaves, mix well and cook for a min. Turn off the heat.Keep aside.

How to proceed:

• Grease a large baking dish. 
• Spread 1/3 of rice on the bottom of baking dish then spreading 1/2 of the matar paneer gravy.
• Spread the chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves and fried onion.

• Spread 1/3 of the rice and finally the remaining matar paneer  gravy and Spread the chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves and fried onion.

• Last add another layer of rice and the chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves and fried onion.
• Cover with an aluminium foil and bake in a pre-heated oven at 200°C  for 10 mins minutes. 
• Serve hot with raita of your choice.

Note: 

• To make fried onion, cut the onion in thin strips and deep fry till brown in color. 
• Take the cubed paneer and  immerse them in a bowl of warm water.This process will keep the paneer cubes soft.
• If using frozen green peas then immerse then in warm water for 5-10 mins or microwave with normal water for 1-2 mins.
• Can replace the baking process with the gas top process. For that process keep the griddle on gas top and create layer as described in process in heavy bottom pan and keep that pan on top of the griddle and cook on low heat for 10 mins.