Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Paneer Biryani....Ganesha Chathurthi

 




Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the most celebrated festivals in India by the Hindus, and it is a celebration that we also make at home. This festival is to celebrate  the birth of Lord Ganesha......Lord Ganesha is the remover of obstacles, brings order in this universe and is the God of new beginnings...

As usual, I made Modak and Coconut ladoo. However, we tried new Indian dishes that we wanted to taste including Paneer Biryani. I have to admit, I will repeat it!....It was delicious!!




It seems complicated, but it's not....it requires organization...


Paneer Biryani

For the paneer

250 grams of paneer in cubes

1 cup of yogurt

1 onion diced and fried (it has to be brown like burned)

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon chopped mint

2 tablespoon of alholva

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon gram masala

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon kashmiri chili


Mix all the ingredients, and incorporate the paneer to marinate it. Leave it in the fridge for at least 1 hour.






Rice

2 cups of basmati rice

Wash it and cook it until it is firm and almost done (little raw in the middle). Let it cool. Divide it in two portions.

Some cashew and saffron water. 


Masala for the rice

3 tablespoon of oil

1 tablespoon of ghee

2 teaspoons of cumin

4 cardamom

2 cloves

1 bay leaf

1 onion diced

Make a paste in the mortar with 3 garlic cloves and 1 piece of ginger (2 cm)

2 tomatoes diced

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of gram masala

1 teaspoon of turmeric

1 teaspoon of kasmiri chili powder

1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro

1/2 teaspoon of chopped mint

Masala

In a pot, heat the oil and ghee. Add the cumin, and when it is jumping (popping), add the cardamom, cloves, and bay leaf. Leave it for 3 minutes to extract the aromas. 

Add the diced onion, and the garlic ginger paste. Let it cook until translucent. Add the tomatoes, salt, gram masala, turmeric and chili powder. Stir it well. add the cilantro and mint. Add 1/4 cup of water. Stir it well.  

On top of this masala, place a layer with one portion of rice, then place the paneer, and cover it with the remaining rice. Decorate on top with cashew, saffron rice, and chopped mint. Add 1/2 cup of water. Place the lid on top of the rice.

Cook it for 20 minutes at low/medium heat. Watch for the heat not to burn the rice. Then, cook it for 10 minutes at low heat. Turn the heat off, and let it rest for 15 minutes. Mix it carefully, and place it on a tray.....ENJOY....ENJOY....ENJOY!!!














2 comments:

  1. So flavourful and delicious! And those little snacks with pistachios look amazing too.

    ReplyDelete