Biryanis & Pulav · Hyderabad

Paneer Dum Biryani

Golden cubes of paneer in a creamy, mint-flecked yogurt masala, layered with saffron basmati and slow-steamed for a vegetarian biryani that feels like a feast.

Paneer Dum Biryani

Prep 30 min · Cook 40 min · Total 70 min + 30 min marinade · Serves 4

Ingredients

Paneer marinade

  • 400 g Paneer, in 3 cm cubes
  • ¾ cup Thick yogurt
  • 1 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 ½ tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
  • ¼ tsp Turmeric
  • 1 tsp Biryani masala or garam masala
  • 1 tsp Coriander powder
  • 3 Green chillies, slit
  • ½ cup Mint leaves
  • ½ cup Coriander leaves, chopped
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 2 tbsp Oil, for frying the paneer

Rice

  • 2 cups Aged basmati rice
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • 4 Green cardamom pods
  • 4 Cloves
  • 1 inch Cinnamon stick
  • 1 tsp Shahi jeera
  • 2 tbsp Salt, for the water

Layering

  • 2 Large onions, thinly sliced
  • ⅓ cup Oil
  • 3 tbsp Ghee
  • ¼ tsp Saffron strands
  • ¼ cup Warm milk
  • ½ tsp Kewra water

Method

  1. Fry the onions. Fry the sliced onions in the 1/3 cup oil over medium heat until deep golden. Drain on paper and keep the oil.
  2. Marinate the paneer. Toss the paneer in 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan until lightly golden on a few sides, then tip into a bowl of hot salted water for 5 minutes to keep it soft. Drain and mix with the rest of the marinade ingredients and half the fried onions. Leave for 30 minutes.
  3. Par-boil the rice. Boil 2 1/2 litres of water with the whole spices and salt. Add the drained rice and cook until 70% done. Drain at once.
  4. Layer. Spread the paneer and all its marinade in a heavy pot with 2 tbsp of the onion oil. Cover with the rice. Drizzle with the saffron milk, ghee and kewra and scatter the remaining fried onions and a few mint leaves.
  5. Dum. Cover with foil and a tight lid. Cook on medium for 4 minutes, then on a hot tawa over the lowest flame for 20 minutes. Rest 10 minutes, then lift from the sides so each plate gets paneer, masala and saffron rice.

Tips

The hot water soak after frying is a restaurant trick that keeps the paneer soft through the dum. Don't skip resting at the end; the yogurt masala settles and the rice firms up.