Paneer pulao (restaurant style)

Paneer pulao! Fragrant basmati rice infused with whole spices and topped with fried paneer. I like to add veggies and sometimes like to top with fried onions. After a long term experimenting with different pulao recipes - this was probably the best pulao I have made. Over the past few years I have made pulao in many different ways. I have used garam masala powder, whole spices and a combination of both to give the pulao its flavour. I have also experimented with using ghee, butter or vegetable oil. I have discovered that if you really want to have a restaurant style taste you have to use ghee and whole spices. This really makes all the difference! With this in mind, this is a pulao that I make when I have friends visiting or if I want to make something nice for the weekend. This pulao also gets its flavour from deliciously slowed cooked onions during the beginning of cooking. I like to use white onions for a sweeter taste and when they become golden and caramelised they impart an amazing flavour throughout the dish. 

Some other points I have learnt when making a good pualo is to use a really good quality basmati rice. This is essential. I use Daawat extra long grain basmati rice for dishes like pulao & biryani. You might end up spending a little more money, but I find this rice to be so aromatic and with proper cooking it does not break and becomes so fluffy. To help achieve this fluffiness, it is also very important to rinse and wash the rice beforehand. You need to remove all of the excess starch. Excess starch is great for making dishes like kheer where you need creaminess, but for pulao it causes everything to become mushy and you don't want that! Also, soak the rice before cooking to speed up the cooking time and use equal parts water to rice for cooking. This will prevent the rice from becoming soggy and you will not have any excess water. This may seem like a lot of prep and thinking ahead, but it really will give you an amazing pulao. So without further ado, lets go into the recipe!

Ingredients 
Serves 3-4
1 cup / 220g long grain basmati rice (I use Daawat extra long grain basmati)
1 cup / 250 ml boiling water 
250g paneer cut into bite size cubes 
1/4 cup / 60g peas 
8-10 beans cut into bite size pieces 
1 medium sized potato cut into small chunks 
1 large white onion cut into thin slices 
2 garlic cloves finely chopped 
1/2 green chilli finely chopped 
Salt to taste 
1 tsp sugar

1/2 tbsp ghee 
Vegetable oil as required
Chopped coriander leaves to garnish

You'll need these spices 
2-3 cloves 
1/2 inch piece cinnamon 
3-4 cardamom pods bruised 
1 small star anise 
1 tsp cumin seeds 

1 black cardamom
1 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek)

Method 

• First, prep the rice. Wash & rinse the rice really well. You want the water to be run clear and no excess starch to be present. I rinsed the rice at least 3-4 times. When rinsed, soak for 30 minutes. 
  
  
• Whilst the rice is soaking, you can get started on the base of the pulao. Take a kadai or large wide non-stick pan (for which you have a lid) and heat the ghee on medium-low heat. 
  
  
• When the ghee is hot, add the whole spices and saute for a few minutes until they become fragrant and start releasing their amazing aroma. 
  
  
• Next, add the sliced onions. Saute the onions with the 1 tsp of sugar on a medium-low heat until they become soft and golden. The longer the better here, you want to develop a delicious caramelised onion flavour. 
  
  
• When the onions are deliciously soft & golden, add the green chilli, chopped ginger and garlic cloves. Saute for a few minutes to until the raw aroma goes away. 
  
  
• Next, add the chopped beans, potatoes and peas. Saute for 5 minutes. 
  
  
• By this time the rice should have finished soaking. Drain and then add the soaked rice to the spice-onion-vegetable mixture. 
  
  
• Add the 1 cup (250ml) of boiling water. Mix well and lower the heat. Let the pulao mixture come to a gentle boil. Once boiling, cover with a lid and let the pulao simmer on the lowest heat possible until all the water has been absorbed. Mine took around 10-15 minutes. 
  
  
• After 10-15 minutes, check the rice and fluff up with a fork. Turn off the heat and let the pulao rest for 10 minutes. This will help all the flavours infuse and will help absorb any remaining moisture. 
  
  
• Whilst the pulao is resting, fry the paneer. Take a non-stick frying pan and heat a few tbsp of vegetable oil. Once hot, add the paneer cubes and fry on all sides until golden. Do not overcook - around 1 minute on each side on a high heat is plenty as paneer cooks very quickly. You also don't want the paneer to become tough. 
  
  
• When ready to serve, add the fried paneer cubes to the pulao and garnish with a handful of chopped coriander leaves! This pulao is so tasty - you don't really need to have anything alongside it.