Makhani Paneer Biryani

Need a show stopper at your next party? I got you! Takes a little deviation from traditional biryani flavors, however this makhani paneer biryani truly steals the show everytime I make it.

This paneer dum biryani features creamy pieces of paneer bathed in a flavorful buttery, tomato sauce that are layered with par-boiled basmati rice, fragrant biryani masala, crispy deep-fried onions (birista), fresh aromatic herbs and generous helpings of butter.

The grand finale involves dum (slow-cooking) it to perfection in the oven, stove top or slow cooker. Its sure to impress your guests! Serve with chilled boondi raita and crunchy kachumber salad for a hearty meal.

Biryani stands as one of the most iconic dishes in the recipe repertoire of the Indian subcontinent. Originating in Persia and traversing the silk route to India, this delicately flavored, fragrant, rich & indulgent rice dish has become an integral part of the India's culinary identity.

Pulao Versus Biryani

The distinction between a biryani and pulao , both rice dishes, lies in the technique. In pulao, there is no layering involved. Instead, rice and eggs, meat or vegetables typically cook together in water or broth, creating one-pot dish. In yakhni pulao, the rice cooks in meat broth while in egg pulao or mushroom pulao, simply water is added. In north indian cuisine, biryani is all about layers.

In biryani, the rice is typically cooked separately. In a traditional biryani, whether vegetarian or non-vegetarian, distinct layers are created by combining vegetables or protein with partially cooked rice.

These layers are then slow-cooked in a sealed pot through a method known as "dum cooking." The diverse regional biryani recipes found throughout India vary in technique and incorporate regional ingredients to create a wide array of flavors.

About Paneer Dum Biryani

Here's my take on paneer biryani, a dish that has diverse preparations throughout North India. I wanted to tie together two of my favorite dishes- paneer makhani and biryani via this delightful fusion of flavors. The result is this luxirious dish that pays homage to both!

In this paneer biryani recipe, I prepare a creamy makhani sauce and add paneer cubes directly into it. While the traditional approach is to add paneer tikka to makhani sauce, this recipe offers a delightful twist with plenty of flavors to savor.

We are going to sprinkle biryani masala powder during the layering process with rice, so rest assured, our seasoning needs are well taken care of. An added advantage is that there is no need to marinate the paneer, making this dish a little convenient and efficient.

I love to dum cook the paneer biryani in the oven. It beautifully replicates the traditional process without having to keep a watchful eye. Another of my favorite method is to make dum cook the biryani in slow cooker (instructions included).

Plan Your Cooking Steps

This makhani paneer biryani isn't a quick preparation. Plan for about 1.5 to 2 hours of cooking time. It's best to prepare it when you have a relaxed schedule. In my opinion, biryani is most delightful when savored at least 5 to 6 hours later or the following day. This gives the flavors the opportunity to harmonize, and the rice also achieves a firmer texture.

There are quite a few cooking steps when it comes to making any biryani. With such traditional dishes, I do not take shortcuts. You could come up with your own efficient way. Here's how I go about the preperation.

When Making In One Go- I begin the process by preparing the makhani paneer. While it's simmering, I soak the rice. During the rice soaking time, I begin frying the onions. Once the birista (fried onions) is prepared, I set a pot of water to boil for cooking the rice. Simultaneously, I focus on the various elements needed for layering, such as chopping herbs & ginger, melting ghee etc.

If you want to make it ahead- A day or two in advance, get ahead by making the makhani paneer and refrigerating it. Prepare the fried onions, allow them to cool thoroughly, and then store them in an airtight container lined with paper towels (to maintain their crispiness). Chop the fresh herbs and ginger as well, and store them. Then, on the day you plan to serve, the only remaining tasks are to soak and cook the rice, assemble the biryani layers, and dum cook!

Ingredients

The ingredient list is long so I am breaking it down into 3 components as below:-

For The Makhani Paneer Gravy

• Paneer- Or un aged indian cottage cheese is easily available in indian grocery stores or retailers like Costco and Krogers.  Homemade paneer is the best though I admit, store-bought paneer is super convenient! 
• Onions - I like using red onions, any variety of onions you have at hand will work.
• Tomatoes - I love using a combination of fresh tomatoes and bit of store bought canned tomato sauce/tomato puree for the perfect taste.
• Nuts - A few cashews make the makhani sauce creamy, however can be skipped for a nut free version.
• Whole Spices - Dried red kashmiri chillies give the heat and color to the sauce. De seed the chillies to tame the intensity. Other spices are black peppercorns & green cardamom.
• Spice Powders - Red chili powder, Garam Masala powder, salt
• Oil & Butter - I use the same oil in which I make the fried onions and butter. Makhani gravy is incomplete without richness of butter!
• Ginger & Garlic- I use fresh.
• Kasuri Methi - Dry Fenugreek leaves give the makhani sauce the typical aroma and mild hint of sweetish biterness that we associate with such creamy sauces. If you cannot find it, simply skip it becasue there is no substitue.
• Full Fat Yogurt - Is a deviation from traditional makhani sauce, however it is an important component in any kind of biryani base. A little goes in, the tanginess is unnoticed, however it adds to the creaminess of the makhani sauce.

For Boiling The Rice

• Sela Basmati Rice - Sela basmati rice is different than regular basmati rice. Sela basmati rice is par boiled while the rice is still its husk. Afterwards, its milled. Due to parboiling, the texture of sela basmati rice is firmer and it's ideal for a dish like biryani because the rice grains retain their shape during long cooking. You can purchase sela basmati rice at indian grocery store. Make sure that the package has a "sela" label on it. If you cannot find sela rice, use extra long grain basmati rice.
• Whole Spices - Cloves, green cardamom and cinnamon stick. Or you may add other whole spices of choice.
• Salt, oil & lemon juice.

To Layer The Paneer Biryani

• Fried Onions- For me, crispy fried onions are non negotiable in biryani! Fried onions, also called birista are plain onions deep fried to golden brown without adding any other ingredient. These are most commonly used in making biryani or korma dishes.Indian fried onions are made with just one ingredient (onions). You may take a look at pictures of how I make mine in the mutton korma post.
• Fresh chopped herbs- I use fresh mint and cilantro (coriander leaves).
• Shah Jeera or Caraway Seeds - Add a wonderful aroma, skip if not available.
• Biryani Masala Powder - I will share my homemade biryani masala sometime. You could use your favorite store bought biryani masala powder. We like the taste of bombay biryani masala in our biryani. You could choose the brand you like.
• Melted Ghee
• Kewra water - Is used for adding the aroma. You could use saffron strands or rose water if you wish. These aromatic additives maybe skipped fully if you find them overpowering.

Step By Step Instructions

Make Makhani Paneer

1. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil in which you fried the onions to a cooking pot. Let warm up a bit.
2. To the hot oil, add the roughly chopped onions, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, raw cashews, black peppercorn and dried whole chillies (image1).
3. Fry for 2-3 minutes, cover(image2) and then cook this mixture for 10-12 minutes on low medium heat or until the tomatoes are soft and mushy(image3).
4. Switch off the stove, let cool down a little and then, add to a blender jar(image 4) and blend the onion tomato mixture to smooth(image 5).
5. To the same cooking pot, add the butter. Keep the heat on low and while butter is still melting, add the green cardamom pods, kashmiri red chilli powder and red chilli powder(image 6). Fry on low heat for 10-15 seconds, taking care that nothing burns.
6. Introduce the blended onion and tomatoes (image7). Along with it, add the yogurt. Immediately stir and mix the yogurt well(image8). Let fry for 1-2 minutes with continual strirring.
7. Next, add the tomato puree or canned tomato sauce, sugar, salt, garam masala, kasuri methi and heavy cream(image 9). Mix well.
8. Add the paneer cubes to the makhani sauce (image 10). Mix very well. Now, cover the pot (image 11 )and let everything cook on low medium heat for 10-12 minutes until the paneer is softened and the sauce is thickened. Your makhani paneer is ready! (image12)

Tip - Do not add any water to the makhani sauce. The liquid from tomatoes and yogurt is all we need while cooking it down with paneer. If the makhani sauce is runny, your biryani will turn out wet. It should be thickish.

Par Boil The Rice

Before you start boiling the rice, make sure that all the components are ready for layering the biryani. We are going to cook the rice and immediately layer the biryani while rice is still warm.

9. Wash the rice 3-5 times under running water until the water is clear. Soak the sela basmati rice for 20-25 minutes in excess water (image13).
10. Place a large pot of water (one that can hold 6-8 cups of water) on the stove. Add salt, ghee, lemon juice and whole spices to the water(image14 & 15). Over high heat, bring it to a boil(image16).
11. Once the rice is boiling, add the drained soaked sela rice to the hot water(image17). Stir gently 2-3 times to prevent the rice from sticking at the bottom.
12. On medium heat, let the rice cook (image18)until its 90% cooked. Since paneer doesn't need a lot of cooking time, we are cooking the rice accordingly. Avoid stirring the rice again and again while its cooking since it would break the rice grains.

How To Check the doneness of Rice- First method is to take a few grains of rice and press it between your thumb and index finger. The rice would be soft and slightly firm(image20). Second way is to check visually. This method of cooking rice in excess water is quite similar to cooking pasta (image19). When the rice is ready, the grains will start floating to the top.

13. Drain the rice fully using a colander and immediately start layering the biryani.

Assemble The Biryani Layers

There is no right or wrong way to layer a biryani except that you should finish with rice layer is at the top. Also, try to make even layers. Here's how I do it.

14. Preheat oven to 200F for dum cooking the biryani. Or you could dum cook on stove or slow cooker too (writing both the methods below).
15. Choose a heavy bottom & oven safe pot (I use my dutch oven), large enough to hold all the layers. Add some ghee or melted butter at the bottom of the pot.
16. Place half of the drained, cooked rice and spread it in an even layer to cover the bottom of the pot. (image 21)
17. Sprinkle a generous amount of biryani masala (about 1 tablespoon) on top of the rice. This will immensely flavor the rice while cooking. (image 22)
18. Spoon over all the makhani paneer that we made earlier. Add half of the fried onions on top of the paneer. (image 23)
19. Add some chopped herbs next. (image 24)
20. Spread the remaining rice on top . Try to make an even layer. This is the top layer of our biryani.
21. Sprinkle some more biryani powder over the rice. Add the fresh chopped herbs, ginger julinnes, and remaining fried onion.You could also add few green chillies. Drizzle liberal amout of ghee or melted butter. Also, add a few drops of kewda water right now. (image 25)

Dum Cook The Biryani

Traditionally, a layer of dough is placed on the edges of the cooking pot and then the lid is securely placed to seal the pot fully for dum cooking. I do the same. However you, may skip the dough part and use a tight-fitting lid to trap the steam and flavors.

22. Using a roti dough, line the edge of the cooking pot (image 26) and then place the lid on top to make sure that no steam escapes. (image 27). If you dont not want to use roti dough, simply use a tight fitting heavy lid.
23. Place the cooking pot in the pre heated oven and let dum cook for an 1 hour and 15 minutes. Alternatively, heat up a cast iron griddle on the stove until hot. Place the sealed cooking pot over it and reduce the flame to low. Let the biryani slow cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
24. Once dum cooking is over, don't open the cook pot immediately. Wait for 15-20 minutes for flavors to settle down.
25. Using a sharp knife, cut through the dough lining and open the lid of the pot. (image 25)
26. Using a saucer plate, a soft spatula or a rice spoon, from the side of the pot, very gently fluff and mix the biryani.

Dum Cooking Biryani In Slow Cooker

Once you are ready to layer the biryani, liberally spray the slowcooker with oil or butter. Layer the rice, makhani paneer and other ingredients as mentioned above. Cover the lid and cook on high for 1 hour and then on low for 2.5 to 3 hours.

Serving Paneer Biryani

Serve makhani paneer biryani for main course with raita (boondi raita), salad (kachumber). You could add some green chutney, pappadum, and sliced onions on the side too. Since the rice absorbs the flavor of makhani sauce,you really dont need a side dish here.

Recipe Tips

• Rice - I cannot recommend using sela basmati rice enough. It eliminates the problem of grain breakage and cooks to fluffy every single time, hence making the biryani look super eye pleasing.
• Garnishes - Before serving, add some pomegranate arils, fresh chopped herbs and more fried onions on top.
• Nuts & Raisins - Some people love nuts in their biryani, you could add fried whole cashews and raisins while layering.
• Salt Level- If the salt quantity is not right, your biryani may taste very flat. Make sure to taste and adjust the salt in makhani paneer sauce as well as while boiling the rice, salt the water to season the rice.
• Fried Onions can be made a day or two ahead and stored in a dry container to retain their crispiness.
• Makhani Sauce can also be made a day ahead and keep refrigerated. Warm it up and add paneer and heavy cream and use it for layering.

Variations

To Make a Dairy Free or Vegan Version

• Use plant based oil or vegan butter.
• Instead of paneer, use extra firm tofu.
• Skip the yogurt or use cashew yogurt.
• Skip the heavy cream or use cashew cream.

Nut Free Version

• Skip the cashews or use sunflower seeds instead.