Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (2024)

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Paneer Biryani recipe is a popular Indian rice entree that tastes fabulous along with raita. This biryani is cooked in dum layer method, allowing flavours to burst all through the rice dish.

Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (1)

Paneer Biriyani, unlike other regular Vegetable Biryani is an enhanced version of Pulao Rice. It is simply perfect to make for a celebration or even as a part of weekend menu. Also featuring my grand ‘New’ Staub Cocotte from Zwilling UK.

It has been a couple of weeks, that I have been regular with blog posts and on social media. I have been buzy with family and the new Personal Project on the card. I have the whole day planned running between schools, hardware stores, planning and then sorting out. Oops… I will keep this with me. Just a few more days before I can actually share whats happening!!

Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (2)

There is so much to do and I want to shoot but trust me its nearly a month, I actually picked my camera. Its slowly getting covered with a layer of dust. My 100 mm lens, just besides my laptop looks like show piece to me. Sometimes I realise, there are many things that have a priority in life and take an upper stand even if I didn’t want too..
These days I have been wishing the Day had 35 hours and not 24 !!!
Between soo many things, I have just realised we are in Autumn, soon in Winter. All that I know is I want to get back to regular blogging – weekly twice. Once it’s got onto my mind, I know it will materialise soon.

Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (3)

Moving further, a couple of months ago, the gorgeous lady at Zwilling UK offered to send me a product of my choice and I hand picked the Staub Cocotte. I was certain to pick a color/piece that is not regular and something very classy. A piece that will be the highlight on the dinning table and there will not be any need to change the cookware before serving.

When the Dark Blue 29cm Staub Cocottearrived in June, trust me – I kept looking at it . Gorgeously presented with the tricolor logo ribbon tied on the brass knob and the instruction booklet placed in it. Man, its heavy !! It will be because it Cast Iron.
They are Incredibly versatile – ideal for cooking stews, for slow-cooked dishes, for curries and even Rice. Food Cooked in cocotte retains ingredients full flavour and aroma and all thanks to the tight lid that encloses it.

Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (4)

My first dish had be a biryani recipe for me in the cocotte, specially because it can be finished off in the oven if needed too. Tight Lid feature helps me give my Biryani DUM ( A cooking method where Steam in choked and enables the cooking). I enjoyed the process of making Paneer Biryani in the cocotte. let me tell you, our biryani remained warm for a very long time.

The only Con to mention is that Cocotte is quite heavy with food and it can get quite hot. Remember to use your gloves or kitchen towel while handling it. And yes, its priced at 269£ , still worth it. Once in a lifetime investment, so why not!!

Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (5)

HOW TO MAKE EASY PANEER BIRYANI RECIPE

Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (6)

Paneer Biryani Recipe

4.82 from 11 votes

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Servings: 4

Author: Sandhya Hariharan

Paneer Biryani is a delicious and flavorsome rice entree dish, ready in 40 minutes .Serve along with Indian vegetable raitha.

Ingredients

Paneer Marination

  • 500 g Paneer cubed
  • 1.5 Cup Yogurt
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 Tsp Chilli Powder
  • 3/4 Tsp Turmeric Powder
  • 1 Tsp Kasturi Methi Dried Fenugreek Leaves
  • 1 Tsp Garam masala
  • 1/2 Tsp Cardamom Powder
  • 1 Tblsp Ginger Garlic Paste
  • 1 Tsp Coriander Leaves
  • 1 Tsp Mint Leaves
  • 1 Green Chillies finely Chopped is optional
  • Fried Onions
  • 3 Medium Sized Onions or 2 Large Onion thinly sliced and airfryed.

Rice

  • 2 Cups of Rice
  • 6 Cups of Water
  • 11/2 Tsp Salt

Whole Spices (Garam Masala's)

  • 1 Cinnamon Stick
  • 3 Bay Leaves
  • 10 Cloves
  • 4 Cardamom
  • 1 Black Cardamom

For layering

  • 3 Tsp of Finely Chopped Mint Leaves
  • 2 Pinch of Saffron soaked in 6 Tsp hot milk
  • 1 Tsp of Cinnamon Cardamom Cloves Powder
  • 4 Tbslpn of Butter or Ghee
  • Fried Onions

Serve with Cucumber Raita

    Instructions

    Paneer Marination

    • In a large bowl add all the ingredients for marination and set aside minimum of 30 minutes. It can stay marinated for 2 hours or so if time permits.

    • I have airfryed my Onions for a healthy alternative. If you like, you could fry them. Heat Oil in a pan and add the sliced onions. Fry them in medium flame until golden brown. Set them aside.

    Rice preparation

    • Wash and Rinse the rice a couple of times and allow them to sit for atleast 30 minutes.

    • To a large pot, add the boiling water from the kettle followed by the whole spices and Salt. Now add the rice and allow it to cook just 50%. To test, pick up one of the rice grain and check, it should break into halves. Drain all the water at this stage and set the rice aside.

    Assembling

    • To the Cocotte, add butter and oil. Now add the marinated Paneer and saute them briefly . Layer the rice on top of the paneer. Top it with fried onions, saffron soaked in milk, Cinnamon Cardamom Cloves Powder,Finely chopped mint leaves and some more butter.

    • Cover with a moist cloth and then place the tight lid. Allow the rice to cook in medium flame for 5 min and then for another 5 minutes in low flame. Turn off the flame and set it aside. Since the cocotte would retain the heat, Biryani will tend to cook further .

    • Serve Paneer Biryani hot along with a bowl of Onion Raita or Cucumber Raita.

    Notes:

    • I had reserved a few paneer cubes from the marinated paneer and fried them on the grill. Once the biryani was ready, these paneer cubes were used as garnish.

    Course: Main Course, Rice Dish

    Cuisine: Indian

    Keyword: paneer biryani, paneer pulao, pilav, pulao, rice, biryani, paneer, rice entree

    Tried this recipe?Mention @Sandhyaskitchen and Hashtag #sandhyaskitchen!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (7)remya sean says

      Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (8)
      Oh..superb clicks dear 🙂 love the presentation and i can imagine how tasty your biriyani would have been

      Reply

    2. Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (9)Meena Kumar says

      Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (10)
      This is sooo beautiful.. ..biriyani and the cookware.

      Reply

    3. Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (11)Jyothi Rajesh says

      Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (12)
      I’m in love with the cook ware, cast iron – cant get enough of it. Lovely shot Sandy

      Reply

    4. Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (13)Remya says

      Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (14)
      Gorgeous pics…! I love ur pictures…!!! Delicious biriyani and love that cookware…!

      Reply

    5. Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (15)Janani Rakesh Kumar says

      Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (16)
      Oh my sandhya! just wowww shots! loved them all and the cookware too! And the biryani looks soo tempting!

      Reply

    6. Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (17)Pallavi Singh says

      Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (18)
      Nice Biryani, I have always tried Pulao and this time on Diwali I will definitely try this

      Reply

    7. Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (19)Rama Rangan says

      Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (20)
      Can’t wait to try this one

      Reply

    8. Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (21)Raj Soni says

      Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (22)
      I made it a couple of weeks ago… it turned out absolutely delicious !! I didn’t use the pan you suggested but used a normal large pan with a heavy lid, but the result was brilliant. Will definitely be making it again.

      Reply

      • Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (23)Sandhya Hariharan says

        That is absolutely brilliant Raj!

        Reply

    9. Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (24)Margaret Gallagher says

      Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (25)
      Perfect for the up coming festivities – the flavours sound delicious

      Reply

    Leave a Reply

    Paneer Biryani recipe | How to make Paneer Biryani (2024)

    FAQs

    What is the secret ingredient for biryani? ›

    Zafrani biryani: One of the links to the biryani with royalty remains is that of saffron-infused milk or ghee added to the layers of rice to bring oomph and separate the dish from plebeian food.

    What is paneer biryani made of? ›

    A traditional Paneer Biryani recipe is a slow cooked layered casserole of paneer cubes in a curd (yogurt) based gravy, fried onions and par-cooked rice flavored with spices, saffron or rose water. Any traditionally made biryani will have separate layers of the gravy and rice, utilizing the dum method of cooking.

    What makes a perfect biryani? ›

    To make a good biryani, always use best quality ingredients. The choice of good quality basmati rice, whole spices, spice powders, chicken & ghee all contribute to the flavors of chicken biryani. 1.Basmati rice: There are so many kinds of basmati rice available in the market.

    What is the most important spice in biryani? ›

    Biryani masala has some key ingredients like shahi jeera (caraway seeds) and dagad phool (stone flower, kalpasi) which are not used to make garam masala. Here is a picture of the caraway seeds. They look similar to cumin but these are thinner, darker and longer than the cumin seeds.

    How to make biryani at home tips? ›

    5 Tips To Remember While Preparing Biryani Masala At Home:
    1. Use fresh ingredients: You have the liberty to pick the spices as per your wish. ...
    2. Toast the spices: Always make sure you dry roast the spices on kadhai to get the best result. ...
    3. Balance the flavours right: ...
    4. Make in small batches: ...
    5. Store it well:
    Aug 31, 2023

    What goes well with paneer biryani? ›

    Biryanis are best served with eggplant curry, salan, raitas, boiled egg and Dalcha. We will see about these delicious add ons in detail.

    Does paneer biryani exist? ›

    Paneer Biryani is a delicious vegetarian layered dish of paneer, dum cooked with spices, herbs and basmati rice. Making this special dum Paneer Biryani is a labor of love and is great to make for special occasions or when the cravings kick-in for a real good vegetarian biryani.

    What is the difference between paneer pulao and paneer biryani? ›

    Distinctive Differences between Pulao and Biryani

    Cooking Method: Pulao is cooked by boiling rice in a seasoned broth. Biryani is cooked by layering cooked rice with meat or vegetables and a flavorful sauce. Spices: Pulao is typically made with fewer spices compared to Biryani.

    What adds Flavour to biryani? ›

    also, spices like cinnamon, cardamom, black cardamom, cumin, bay leaf, cloves and caraway seeds are equally responsible. Black Cardamom, Yogurt, brown onion, toamto puree, dry plum(aloo bukhara), Tamarind(imli), Biryani Essence, yellow food color which gives biryani a presentable look.

    Why use lemon in biryani? ›

    However, lemon juice is a common condiment used in many biryani recipes to add a tangy and refreshing flavor to the dish. Some people enjoy squeezing fresh lemon juice over their biryani just before serving to enhance the taste.

    Which is the tastiest biryani? ›

    Best Biryanis In India You Should Try - Top 10 Picks!
    • Hyderabadi Biryani - Layers of Flavour! It originated in the kitchens of the Nizams of Hyderabad and is a masterpiece of fusion between Mughal and South Indian cuisines. ...
    • Thalassery Biryani - Kerala's Coastal Delight! ...
    • Ambur Biryani - The Spicy Sensation of Tamil Nadu!
    Jan 10, 2024

    What is the main ingredient of paneer? ›

    Paneer is an Indian cheese that's made from curdled milk and some sort of fruit or vegetable acid like lemon juice. There are some distinct traits that make Paneer the cheese that it is: It's an unaged cheese.

    Which milk is best for paneer? ›

    For making good quality paneer, buffalo milk is considered more suitable than cow milk (Bhattacharya et al. 1971; Sachdeva et al.

    Should we boil paneer before cooking? ›

    Boiling: Soaking the paneer in cool water after boiling keeps it soft during cooking. Otherwise, it will turn hard and rubbery. Pan frying: Keep in mind that pan frying will add an additional amount of fat and calories.

    What gives biryani its flavor? ›

    Butter, meat stock, edible fragrance, rose water, milk and kewda should be added in the biryani while layering the rice properly over the chicken. These ingredients add a delicious flavor to the biryani and give it a lovely appearance.

    What is the secret of biryani aroma? ›

    Now as answer of your question, biryani is actually combination of different spices. All of these contributes to its wonderful aroma but kewra essence/water and saffron essence really helps in its wonderful aroma.

    What is the main ingredient in any form of the dish biryani? ›

    Biryani (/bɜːrˈjɑːni/) is a mixed rice dish, mainly popular in South Asia. It is made with rice, some type of meat (chicken, goat, lamb, beef, prawn, or fish) and spices. To cater to vegetarians, in some cases, it is prepared by substituting vegetables for the meat.

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