Paneer Dum Biryani

For The Paneer Marination

1. In a wide mixing bowl, add curd and whisk till it’s smooth & creamy.
2. Add salt, followed by the fry powders of red chilli, turmeric, coriander. Give it a whisk to blend them in the curd.
3. Then add ginger- garlic, green chilli paste paste, fried onion ( Barista), chopped mint and chopped coriander, and mix them well with the curd.
4. Now add the cubes of paneer and green peas in the curd masala and gently coat them with the marination ensuring not to break the delicate paneer cubes.
5. Leave it aside for Atleast 30 mins, longer is always better with any marination.

For The Rice

1. In a wide mixing bowl, add curd and whisk till it’s smooth & creamy.
2. Add salt, followed by the fry powders of red chilli, turmeric, coriander. Give it a whisk to blend them in the curd.
3. Then add ginger- garlic, green chilli paste paste, fried onion ( Barista), chopped mint and chopped coriander, and mix them well with the curd.
4. Now add the cubes of paneer and green peas in the curd masala and gently coat them with the marination ensuring not to break the delicate paneer cubes.
5. Leave it aside for Atleast 30 mins, longer is always better with any marination.

For layering

1. Keeping the flame off, Add a part of the total quantity of ghee in a deep and thick bottomed cooking pot.
2. Add the marinated paneer and spread it evenly on the base.
3. Now gently add a layer of cooked rice and spread evenly.
4. Pour the prepared saffron milk, kewra water, rose water, some ghee, garam masala, coriander leaves, mint leaves and finally the fried onion.
5. Repeat the rice layering process again with the same ingredients except coriander and mint (as they turn dark during the time of adding the dum, and doesn’t look pretty).
6. Now finish it with a ladleful of rice water and ghee.
7. Cover the biryani pot with the lid and seal with some dough or silver foil.
8. Keep on on high flame and cook it for the first 5mins. Now if your pot does not have a thick enough bottom then place it on a tava.
9. Now lower the flame and cook for a further 15-20 mins.
10. Then switch off the flame but don’t remove the lid immediately. Allow all the flavours to get infused well for another 10mins.
11. To serve, watch the way I have shown in the video as trust me, it makes a lot of difference to the final presentation!
    Also garnish with chopped coriander & mint leaves, onion barista and fried cashews.