Paneer Mushroom Biryani

Ingredients for Paneer Mushroom Biryani:

1. Biryani rice – ½ kg

2. Paneer – 250 gm

3. Button mushroom – ½ kg

4. Coriander powder – 1 small spoon

    Turmeric powder – ½ small spoon

    Chilli powder – 1 small spoon

    Fennel seeds – 1 small spoon

5. Cashews – ¼ cup

    Coconut scrapped – ¼ cup

6. Ghee – 1 cup

7. Cinnamon – 2-inch piece

    Cloves – 6

    Cardamom – 6

8. Onions chopped – ¼ kg

9. Garlic paste – 2 big spoons

10. Ginger paste – 2 big spoons

      Tomato chopped – 1 cup

11. Coriander leaves chopped – 1 cup

      Curd – 1 cup

12. Salt – As required

13. Green chillies – 4, end split

14. Lemon juice – From 1 lemon

15. Cashews, raisins and onions fried – To decorate

How to prepare Paneer Mushroom Biryani?

1. Cut paneer to 1-inch square pieces.

2. Clean mushrooms and keep aside. (If bigger in size, cut into 2 pieces)

3. Make a fine paste of ingredients 4, 5 and 6 separately and keep aside.

4. Heat ghee, and fry cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.

5. Add onions and when it turns brown, add garlic paste and sauté again.

6. When pleasant flavour comes out, add the paste of ingredients no: 4 and sauté well.

7. Add ginger paste and tomatoes and sauté well till a thin layer of oil appears.

8. Add coriander leaves, salt and curd, and mix well.

9. Add paneer pieces and mushrooms and close the lid for a while.

10. When gravy thickens, add coconut-cashew paste and green chillies and stir well.

11. When the contents boil, take off from flame.

12. To prepare rice, wash rice and soak for half an hour.

13. Pre-heat oven in 150 degree celsious.

14. Boil 12 cups of water adding sufficient salt.

15. Add drained rice and lemon juice to it.

16. When rice is 3/4^th done, drain of excess water.

17. In the baking tray, apply a small spoon of ghee and spread ¼ part of cooked rice.

18. From the prepared masala gravy, take paneer and mushroom pieces and spread as a layer on rice.

19. Divide the remaining rice into two and spread one half on the top of mushrooms and paneer as second layer.

20. Pour gravy of masala on its top, followed by remaining rice as the next layer.

21. Bake rice for half an hour in the pre-heated oven.

22. Serve your mushroom-paneer biryani in such a way that layers are clearly visible.

23. Decorate each serving plate with fried raisins, cashews and coconut on its top.

Courtesy: Vanitha Magazine, October 15-31, 2010

A few more delicious Biryani recipes for you. Here is the page link. Click on the images in the gallery to read.