Paneer briyani

Ingredients:

• 10 Cashews 
• 10 raisins 
• 1 onion thinly sliced
• 1 onion sliced
• 1 handful coriander leaves chopped
• 1 handful mint leaves chopped
• 3 tbsp ghee or oil
• 1 tsp orange color 

cooking rice 

• 1 tsp oil
• 1 ½ cups basmati rice
• 1 star anise / chakra phool
• 1 bay leaf / tej patta
• 4 cloves / laung
• 2 inch cinnamon / dalchini
• 3 green cardamom / choti elaichi
• 2 to 4 pepper corn / kali mirch
• Salt to taste

Marination ingredients

• 1 cup Paneer cubes
• 1 bay leaf 
• 2 green cardamoms 
• 2 inch cinnamon 
• 4 cloves 
• ½ tsp shahi jeera 
• ¾ cup yogurt ,
• ¾ tbsp red chili powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric 
• ¾ tbsp. ginger garlic paste
• 1 tbsp biryani masala
• 1 handful mint leaves chopped 
• 1 handful coriander leaves chopped
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Fry cashews and raisins in ghee and set aside. Saute cold paneer cubes in 1 tsp of ghee for 2 to 3 mins on a medium high flame.
   

   
2. Immediately drop hot fried paneer in the cold yogurt marination ingredients and set aside for at least 30 mins.
   

   
3. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil, add in the spices cooking rice.soaked basmathi rice.Cook till the rice is ¾ th cooked.
   

   
4. Heat 3 tbsps. ghee in a wide and deep non-stick pan or a clay pot, add sliced onions and fry till they turn golden brown.Add the Marinated paneer. Sauté for a 2 min on medium high.
   
5. Spread a layer of rice evenly.Sprinkle the coriander and mint leaves.Sprinkle the fried onions.Pour the orange color milk evenly all over.Add the fried cashews and raisins.
   
6. Cover the pan with a foil and close with lid, making sure that the lid is airtight, so that the steam doesn’t escape. Heat a tawa move this rice pan on to the ot tawa, I used an old dosa tawa. Cook for 25 mins on a medium flame. This helps in preventing the biryani from getting burnt beneath. 
   
7. Serve and  garnish paneer biryani with mint or coriander leaves.

paneer Makhani

Ingredients:

To puree

• 10 cashews or almonds
• 2¼ cups tomatoes 400 gms 

Other ingredients to make paneer makhani

• 2 cups paneer or 200 grams Indian cottage cheese
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 green cardamoms or elaichi
• 1 cinnamon 1 inch or dalchini
• 2 cloves
• 1 green chili slit deseeded
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste or ¾ tsp ginger paste
• ¾ to 1 ¼ tsp red chilli powder adjust as needed
• salt as needed
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1/8 tsp turmeric or haldi
• 1 ¼ tsp garam masala adjust as needed
• ¼ cup cream (optional)

Method:

1. Soak cashews for 10  to 15 mins in hot water. If using almonds then remove the skin.

   
2. Blend together tomatoes and cashews to a smooth puree. Filter if the puree is coarse.

   

How to make paneer makhani

1. Heat a pan with butter. Then saute cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms and green chili.Saute ginger garlic paste for the raw smell to go away. This takes just 2 to 3 mins.

   
2. Transfer the puree to the pan. Cover partially and cook until the puree thickens.
   

   
3. Add chili powder, turmeric and salt. Saute until the mix leaves the sides of the pan.
   

   
4. Next add garam masala and saute for 1 to 2 mins.
   

   
5. Pour 1 cup water and sugar. Cook until the gravy thickens.
   

   
6. Put in the paneer in the gravy. Stir gently. Cook covered for 2 to 3 mins.Pour the cream and allow to bubble.
   
7. Serve paneer makhani with roti and butter naan.
   

Matar paneer

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp. ginger garlic paste
• 1 cup onions chopped (1 large)
• 1 to 1 ¼ cup tomatoes (2 medium)
• 8 cashewnuts
• ½ tsp Salt
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 2 cardamoms
• 1 small bay leaf
• ¾ to 1 tsp red chili powder (less spicy variety)
• ½ to ¾ tsp garam masala
• ½ to ¾ tsp coriander powder
• ½ to ¾ cup peas (boiled or frozen)
• 1to 1 ¼ cup water (use more if needed)
• 1 green chili deseeded & slit
• 250 grams paneer
• Salt as needed (about ¼ to ½ tsp)
• Handful of coriander leaves
• 1 to 2 tbsp milk cream

Method:

1. Heat a pan with 1 tbsp oil.Add onions and fry until they turn transparent.Add ginger and garlic. Saute for a min.
   

   
2. Add tomatoes, turmeric and salt. Saute for 2 to 3 mins. Cover and cook until tomatoes turn soft.
   
3. Cool this completely. Make a fine paste of this in the blender.
   
4. Add 2 tbsps oil in the same pan. Add cinnamon, cardamoms and bay leaf. Saute for a minute.
   
5. Add the pureed onion tomato mixture. Add chili powder, garam masala and coriander powder. Saute this mixture until it leaves the pan. Keep stirring to prevent burning.
   
6. Add green peas and pour 1 to 1 ¼ cups water.i used frozen peas.Mix and cover the pan. Cook until the gravy thickens and traces of oil appear over the gravy.
   
7. Check salt and add more if needed.Add  paneer .Mix well. Cover and cook just for 2 mins.
   
8. Sprinkle coriander leaves and cream.Mix well.
   
9. Serve matar paneer with rice, naan or paratha.
   

paneer kurma

Ingredients:

• 300 to 400 grams paneer cubed
• 2 large onions finely chopped
• 1 tomato chopped
• 1 tsp. Gram masala powder
• ½ tsp. Red chili powder
• 1tsp. Ginger garlic paste
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ tsp. shahi jeera
• 1 star anise
• 2 inch cinnamon stick
• 4 to 6 cloves
• 6 tsps. Poppy seeds 
• ¼ cup fresh coconut
• Fistful mint leaves finely chopped

How to make the recipe

1. Grind poppy seeds to fine powder first. Add coconut to the powder and repeat grinding. Add water just enough to make thick paste. Grind till smooth. Keep this aside
   
2. Wash paneer if using store bought, drain water completely and set aside
   
3. Heat a kadai with oil, add spices and saute for about a min till they turn fragrant.
   
4. Add onions, sprinkle salt and fry till they turn transparent or golden. Add ginger garlic paste and fry till it turns slightly golden. Do not over fry.
   
5. Add tomatoes , salt and turmeric. Fry till tomatoes turn mushy. If needed cook and cover in case the tomatoes are not juicy.
   
6. Add red chili powder, garam masala powder and mint. Carefully fry for two to three minutes without burning.
   
7. Add the smooth ground paste. Fry for three to four minutes on a medium flame stirring occasionally.
   
8. Pour 1 and ¼ cup water and mix well. Adjust salt. Set the flame to medium. It takes around 6 minutes for the oil to be visible on top. You can adjust the thickness now. If it is too thick, just add little more water.
   
9. Add paneer to the boiling curry, gently stir. Cook for about 3 minutes.
   
10. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.Serve with roti,naan.
    

Palak paneer

Ingredients

• 1 cup paneer cubes
• 2 cups palak
• 2 green chilies
• half cup fine chopped onion
• half cup tomato puree
• 1tsp cumin powder
• 1tsp giner garlic paste
• 1inch cinnamon stick
• half tsp garam masala
• Half cup water
• 10 cashews
• fresh cream (optional)
• 2 cloves
• salt
• Oil

Method

1. Wash palak in a large pot. Rinse a few times . Drain water completely.
   
2. Take a pan add tsp oil. saute green chilies and palak on medium flame. Do not overcook spinach.cool it completely. Add to a blender, make smooth paste. Set aside.
   
3. Heat oil in a pan. Add cinnamon, cumin and cloves. Add onions. Fry unitll golden.
   
4. add giner garlic paste, fry until raw smell goes.
   
5. Add tomato puree and salt. when tomato puree cooked. add coriander powder and garam masala.
   
6. saute until masala smells good for 3 mins. add half cup water and cook on medium flame.
   
7. When the gravy thickens. Add the palak puree and cook for  2 mins. add the paneer,mix well. switch off the stove.
   
8. Serve Palak paneer with naan, roti, paratha or rice.
   

Methi paneer

Ingredients:

• Oil as needed
• 1 tsp ginger chopped or ½ tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic chopped or ½ tsp garlic paste
• 1 cup oinons
• ¾ cup tomatoes (do not choose very sour tomatoes)
• Salt as needed
• ½ tsp red chili powder
• ¾ tsp garam masala (adjust as needed)
• 1 heaped cup methi / fenugreek leaves (comes up to ¾ cup chopped)
• 2 heaped cups paneer
• ½ tsp cumin
• 2 green cardamoms / elaichi
• 8 Cashews

Method:

1. Pluck methi leaves and soak them in a large utensil filled with water. Drain off and set aside.
   
2. Add oil to a hot pan, fry ginger garlic till they smell good. Add onions and fry till lightly golden.
   
3. Add tomatoes and sprinkle salt. Fry till the tomatoes turn mushy.Add red chili powder and garam masala. If using cashews they can be added now. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes till the masala smells good. Switch off the stove. Cool this and blend with little water to a smooth puree.
   
4. In the same pan, saute methi leaves for 2 minutes. Add paneer and saute for another 2 minutes. Set this aside.
   
5. Add little more oil to the same pan, add cumin and cardamom. When they sizzle, add the onion tomato puree. Add more water as needed to bring it to a gravy consistency.
   
6. Bring it a boil and allow to cook well for about 3 minutes.Add the paneer that was set aside.Cook for about 3 minutes on a medium flame. Do not over cook otherwise paneer turns rubbery.
   
7. Transfer it to a serving bowl.