Achari paneer pulao recipe:
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 35-40 minutes
Ingredients
Basmati rice- 2 cups
Green peas- 3tbsp (boiled)
Cloves- 2
Cardamom- 2
Cinnamon- 1 inch stick
Saffron- 2 pinches
Shahjeera (caraway seeds)- ½ tsp
Milk- 1tsp
Bay leaf- 1
Oil/ghee- 3tbsp
Salt- as per taste
For achari preparation
Paneer- 2 cups (cut into cubes)
Curd- ½ cup
Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
Fennel seeds- ½ tsp
Mustard seed- ½ tsp
Green chilli pickle masala- 1tsp
Meethi dana (fenugreek seeds)- ½ tsp
Cumin seeds- 1tsp
Mango pickle mustard oil- 1tsp (taken from mango pickle jar)
Salt- as per taste
Procedure
Boil the rice in a deep bottomed pan. Add little salt to avoid the rice granules from sticking. Drain and keep the rice aside. Let it cool.
In a bowl, add milk and saffron strands. Let it soak and release its colour. Once done, add in the rice and mix well. Keep it aside.
Blend curd, green chilli pickle, turmeric powder, mustard, fennel, cumin, fenugreek seeds, mustard oil from mango pickle and salt. Blend until the seeds and spices are coarsely crushed.
When the blended paste becomes smooth, pour in a bowl. Add the paneer cubes and coat with the paste. Let it marinate for 15-20 minutes.
After marinating, grill the paneer with paste in a skewer or fry them in 1tbsp oil till the cubes turn golden brown. Keep the leftover paste aside.
Now heat oil/ghee in a large pan. Season with shahjeera, cinnamon, clove, cardamom and bay leaf.
When they start spluttering, add the left over paste with green peas and cook for few seconds. Now add rice, paneer and sprinkle salt. Mix well.
Achari paneer pulao is ready to eat. Serve it hot with a side dish.
