Paneer Biryani Recipe Restaurant Style
Paneer Biryani Recipe (Restaurant Style) is a vegetarian dish from India that combines fragrant basmati rice with paneer (Indian cottage cheese), vegetables, and a variety of spices. It’s a flavorful and satisfying meal that can be enjoyed on its own or with sides like raita and salad.
Virtually there are endless methods to make a paneer biryani recipe, but the basic method is layering in a pot or biryani pan the rice and paneer with vegetables and spices. The pot sealed and cooked on low heat, allowing flavors to meld into the rice.
This is the most favorite dish for Indians at special occasions; in addition to it, one can also enjoy this item with or without including meat sources like chicken or lamb. If you want a tasty healthy vegetarian meal course, then try out paneer biryani.
How to make Paneer Biryani Recipe:
1. Add 2 cups of basmati rice in a bowl. Clean rice with water and soak for an hour.
Preparing Marination:
2. Cut paneer into 1 inch size blocks and put them aside.
3. Now put paneer cubes in a large bowl, sprinkle ¼ tbsp. Turmeric powder, red chili powder and 2 tbsp. salt.
4. Add coriadner powder, garam masala poder, biryani spice powder and cumin powder.
5. Put 2 tbsp. fresh ginger garlic paste, mint leaves, coriander leaves and 3 No. 1 inch size cinnamon sticks.
6. Add 5 No. cardamoms, 5 No. cloves, ½ tbsp. sayajeera and 2 No. Bay leaves.
7. Put lemon juice, put fist full of fried onions and dry kasuri methi. Mix all ingredients.
8. Add soar curd to give tangling flavour, add little oil, 2 tbsp. ghee and mix well.
9. Paneer Biryani Recipe taste great when we marinate for at least 30 minutes to an hour.
Preparing Rice:
10. Boil water in a vessel, once water boils add 2 No. 1 inch cinnamon sticks, 3 No. Cardamoms and Star anise.
11. Put ½ tbsp. sayajeera, 4 No. Cloves, 2 No. Bay leaves and ½ tbsp. Ginger garlic paste.
12. Sprinkle 3 tbsp. Salt, 2 tbsp. Ghee, add soaked rice and cook for a while till we get one boil.
13. Put marinated paneer cubes in a wide vessel, gently spread cubes and put little oil. Cook on low flame.
14. Once rice starts boiling, check rice grains. If they break with gentle press then rice is ready.
15. Take rice from boiling water and put them over paneer to form a layer.
16. Sprinkle mint leaves and coriander leaves, fried onions as a layer and sprinkle biryani masala or garam masala powder.
17. Repeat this process of layering to get three layers.
18. Top ghee over the paneer biryani recipe along with food colour (optional). Place banana leaf over the top and close the lid.
19. To lock the flavours and stem place weight over the lid and cook for 20-30 minutes on low flame till we can sense the aroma.
20. Open the lid and banana leaves, gently remove rice from bottom and place it over top. Serve Paneer Biryani Recipe Hot accompanied with onions and raita.
Watch the Paneer Biryani Recipe Video on YouTube.
Here are a few finger-licking recipes:
Pro Tips to make a perfect Paneer Biryani Recipe:
- Quality Ingredients:
Basmati Rice: Aged basmati rice will give it an aromatic and nonsticky feel. Rinse it well to the point where the water runs clear to wash off extra starch.
Paneer: Fresh homemade paneer is always good; however, store-bought paneer is okay only if it is not too soft.
- Marinate the Paneer
Ingredients: Yogurt + ginger-garlic paste + red chili powder + turmeric + garam masala + salt + a teeny weeny amount of lemon juice, so that the marinade does not lack zest.
Time: Marinate for at least 30 minutes. But best results are achieved with a longer marinating time, 1-2 hours or overnight in the fridge if you have that much time. - Cooking the Rice
Sousheaking : Soak basmati rice for 30 minutes. This will help it cook evenly
Cooking: Boil water in a big pot with whole spices : bay leaves, cloves, cardamom. Add little salt too. The rice should be at 70% cooked, so it still has a good bite. Drain and put aside. - Sautéing Spices and Vegetables
Oil/Ghee: Use ghee or a combination of ghee and oil for richness.
Whole Spices: First, melt ghee and throw in all the whole spices – cumin seeds, bay leaves, cardamom, and cloves. Let it get scorched for a minute.
Onions: Throw in sliced onions, sautéed well until they turn browned. It is the sweetness to the recipe that makes it flavor-providing.
Layering
Layer I: The first layer would comprise a crust of pan-fried onions and part of the marinated paneer.
Layer Rice: Put some parboiled rice over the paneer. Sprinkle some mint and coriander leaves.
Repeat: Keep layering till all your ingredients run out in the final layer of rice on top. Garnish with fried onions, mint, and coriander leaves. - Cooking on Dum or Steaming
Pot Covering: Close the pot with a lid, which sticks in perfectly well. For tight sealing, make dough out of flour to apply it over the edges.
Heat: Low fire for about 20-30 minutes. You can put a heavy pan under it. Just don’t allow the flame to touch it.
Steam: Let it steam without opening the lid so it could let its juices and aromas seep in. - Waiting
After cooking, turn the heat off and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. This is the resting time; all flavors will seep into each other as well as all the steam to settle in . - How to serve
Serve with cool sides like raita (yogurt with cucumbers and spices) or a fresh salad. Add some pickles and papad for the necessary additional flavor and crunch. - Other Bling Festivals
Nuts and Dry Fruits: Sprinkle fried cashews and raisins while layering for texture and richness.
Saffron: Soak a few strands of saffron in hot milk. Sprinkle a little over the final layer before closing for that added luxury touch. - Final Touch
Sprinkle some fluff on the biryani with a fork before serving for it to mix the layers without breaking the rice.
Paneer Biryani Recipe Restaurant Style
Paneer Biryani Recipe is a vegetarian dish from India that combines fragrant basmati rice with paneer (Indian cottage cheese), vegetables, and a variety of spices.
Ingredients
- Paneer – 500 gms.
- Basmathi rice – 2 glass full ½ Kg.
- Turmeric powder – ¼ tbsp.
- Red chili powder – 3 tbsp.
- Salt – 2 tbsp.
- Coriander powder – 1 tbsp.
- Garam Masala powder – 1 tbsp.
- Biryani spice powder – 1 tbsp.
- Jeera/ Cumin Powder – ½ tbsp.
- Fresh ginger garlic paste – 2 ½ tbsp.
- Mint leaves – 1 cup
- Coriander leaves – 1 cup
- Cinnamon Sticks – 1 inch sticks – 5 No.
- Cardamom – 8 No.
- Cloves – 9 No.
- Sayajeera – 1 tbsp.
- Bay leaves – 4 No.
- Lemon juice – 2 tbsp.
- Fried Onions – Required to put in preparing paneer masala and layering rice
- Dry kasuri methi – 1 tbsp.
- Curd – 1 cup
- Oil – 1 tbsp.
- Ghee – 2 tbsp.
- Water – required to cook rice
- Star Anise – 2 No.
Instructions
- Place 2 cups of basmati rice in a bowl. Clean the rice with water and soak it for an hour.
- Cut the paneer into 1 inch blocks and set them aside.
- In a large bowl, combine paneer cubes, ¼ tbsp turmeric powder, red chilli powder, and 2 tbsp salt.
- Stir in coriadner powder, garam masala powder, biryani spice powder, and cumin powder.
- Add 2 tablespoons fresh ginger garlic paste, mint leaves, coriander leaves, and three 1-inch cinnamon sticks.
- Put 5 cardamoms, 5 cloves, ½ tbsp of sayajeera, and 2 bay leaves.
- Add lemon juice, a fistful of fried onions, and dried kasuri methi. Combine all ingredients.
- To add more taste, stir in soar curd, a little oil, and 2 tbsp. ghee.
- Paneer Biryani Recipe tastes best when marinated for at least 30 minutes to an hour.
- Bring water to a boil in a pot; while boiling, add 2 1 inch cinnamon sticks, 3 cardamoms, and star anise.
- Combine ½ tbsp of sayajeera, 4 cloves, 2 bay leaves, and ½ tbsp of ginger garlic paste.
- Add 3 tbsp. salt, 2 tbsp. ghee, and the soaked rice, and simmer until it boils.
- Place marinated paneer cubes in a large saucepan, gently spread them, and drizzle with a little oil. Cook on a low flame.
- Once the rice begins to boil, inspect the grains. If they break with slight pressure, the rice is ready.
- Remove rice from the boiling water and spread it over the paneer to form a layer.
- Layer mint, coriander, and fried onions, then sprinkle with biryani masala or garam masala powder.
- Repeat the layering technique until you have three layers.
- Drizzle the paneer biryani recipe with ghee and optional food colouring. Place a banana leaf on top and seal the lid.
- To seal in the tastes and stems, add a weight on top of the lid and cook for 20-30 minutes on low heat until we can detect the aroma.
- Open the lid and banana leaves, then gently remove the rice from the bottom and set it on top. Serve Paneer Biryani Recipe Hot with Onions and Raita.
Recipe Video
FAQ on Paneer Biryani Recipe:
What is Paneer Biryani?
Paneer Biryani is just an amazing rice preparation flavored with paneer that is Indian cottage cheese and spices and basmati rice.
- Can I use shop-bought paneer?
Yes. Freshly made paneer tastes much better. If you are to use it shop- bought ensure that it’s firm - How do I marinate the paneer?
Yoghurt Ginger-garlic paste Chilli powder Garam masala Salt Marinate the paneer and keep aside for minimum 30 minutes.
- How to cook the rice ?
Soak basmati rice for 30 minutes. Boil in water with spices till it’s 70% cooked, drain 5. What spices do I require?
Some common spices used are cumin, bay leaves, cloves, cardamom, and garam masala. Fresh herbs including mint and coriander add flavor too - How do I assemble the biryani?
Use a heavy pan and start assembling by layering sautéed onions, marinated paneer and parboiled rice. Repeat the process and garnish with a final layer of rice
- What is ‘dum’ cooking?
“Dum” means steaming. Cover it with a lid or dough and let it simmer on low flame for 20-30 minutes allowing all flavors to infuse well.
- Can I add some veggies?
You can certainly make this dish much healthier by adding in some mixed veggies, be it peas or carrots accompanying the paneer for that extra nutrition. - How to serve?
Serve hot with raita, salad, or pickles, and there you have a complete meal. - Can it be prepared ahead of time?
You can definitely make this dish ahead and refrigerate or just keep it in the fridge and reheat when you want.
Yes. You may prepare the biryani and then it can be reheated for service. Only add little water while reheating to moisten.
