Paneer pulao

 Paneer pulao is a simple and tasty one pot meal.

I had left over paneer after making a gravy. So i thought of preparing pulao  with paneer and made it. Here in this pulao i used peas along with paneer. But you can also add carrot to make it more appealing and tasty.   Try it out and have a flavourful, tasty and healthy meal. Check out my notes section for tips and tricks while making this pulao.

Here is the recipe...

Ingredients:

Basmati rice - 1 cup

Water - 1 &1/2 cup

Peas- 1/2 cup

Paneer - 15 - 20 small cubes

Green chillies - 4 -5 nos

Onion - 2 nos

Coriander leaves - a  fistful

Mint leaves - a fistful

Lemon juice - 1 tbsp

Salt - as needed

To temper:

Oil - 2 tbsp

Cloves - 2 no

Cardamom- 1 inch piece

Cashews - 4 no

For ginger garlic paste:

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Garlic - 4 -5 pieces

Method:

1. Soak rice atleast for 30 mins. Grind ginger and garlic to a fine paste. Slice the onions, slit the greenchillies, chop coriander leaves , pluck mint leaves. Thaw  greenpeas to room temperature if you are using frozen peas. In a pressure cooker, heat oil add cardamom, cloves and cashews and fry it till cashews turn deep yellow colour. Then add sliced onion, fry it till onion turns transparent. Now add ginger garlic paste and fry it until raw smell of ginger garlic paste leaves.

2. Then  add chillies, stir it. Now add  coriander leaves methi leaves, green peas  and fry it till leaves shrinks in volume.

3. Add water , salt, lemon juice and allow it to boil. When water boils add rice and allow it to boil again .After few minutes , the grains will  absorb  water,  it will be increased in size and very little water will be left in pressure cooker. If you press rice grain ,it you can feel the tenderness.  At this stage rice will be cooked 80- 90 % . Now close the lid of pressure cooker. Put the whistle(pressure regulating valve) and keep the  stove  to  the maximum lowest  flame for 10 - 12 mins. 

4. Meanwhile  make small cubes out of paneer and  shallow fry it the  non stick kadai by  adding 1 tbsp of oil. Once pressure subsides, add fried panner to the pressure cooker mix well. close the  lid and allow the paneer to be in the rice for 5 mins. This makes paneer soft and sbsorb the aroma of the pulao.

Now paneer pulao is ready to serve!

I served with onion raita...

Have a happy meal :)

Notes:

• If you can't put your stove to the  maximum lowest flame, then place dosa tawa over the stove , now keep the pressure cooker on the dosa tawa and  cook the pulao. Or as soon as water and rice comes to boil, close the lid with whistle and give 2 whistles in medium flame.
  
  
• If you don't have time to soak the rice , then increase  the quantity ofwater from 1 and 1/2 cups to 2 cups.
  
  
•  You can also use  combination of 1/4 cup chopped carrot and 1/4 cup peas instead of 1/2 cup peas.
  
  
•  Use non stick pan for frying paneer. Otherwise the paneer cubes may stick to the pan.
  
  
• You can soak the paneer cubes in hot water after frying it. It ensures soft paneer even it cools down. If you are uing paneer cubes immediately, then skip soaking and add as such.