MOONG PALAK PANEER BIRYANI

Hello everyone 

Biryani is a tempting treat for all who love rice dishes. Even I am too fond of biryani , especially veg version. This time thought to try something different , so tried moong palak paneer biryani. It is full of protein , iron and fibre to fulfill our nutrient needs with deliciousness. It is as spicy as hyderabadi biryani and so tempting to lure any biryani lover.  Though my way of cooking don't call for too much oil or butter hence this one is also one of the low calorie and healthy biryani compared to regular ones. This is also simple to cook and don't need any special utensil or technique, even then you can get quiet authentic taste. Step wise recipe is given below hope you all will definitely give it a try.

MOONG PALAK PANEER BIRYANI 

Serves: 4-5

Time: 1 hr

Ingredients 

2 cup soaked whole moong dal
2 cup spinach , finely chopped
2 cup cottage cheese ( paneer), cubed
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
4-5 green chillies , slitted
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
2 big tomatoes, finely chopped or pureed
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp black pepper powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
2 tsp Kashmiri red chili
1 1/2 tbsp biryani masala powder
Oil
1 tbsp ghee
Salt to taste

For veggie tempering:

1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
4 green cardamom
4 cloves
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 bay leaves

For rice:

3 cup basmati or biryani rice, soaked for at least 30 mins

water

1 tsp salt

1 star anise

1 black cardamom

4 green cardamom 

4 cloves

2 inches piece cinnamon 

1 inch piece mace
2 bay leaves

For layering:

1/4 cup milk

 1 cup mint and corianderleaves, chopped

1 tsp Kewda essence or rose water

2 tsp ghee 

Few strands of saffron soaked in little milk or red and yellow edible colors 

1 big onion, thinly sliced and deep fried till golden brown 

Fried dry fruits ( almonds, cashew, raisins) for garnishing

Method:

Heat oil in a wok and fry onion till brown for layering .Fry dry fruits in the same oil and drain on a tissue paper. Keep aside for later use. 

Now add ghee and oil in same wok and add all veggie tempering spices and saute till aromatic, then add thinly sliced onions .

 Saute till nice golden, add ginger garlic paste and green chilies ,saute for 2 mins.

 Add all dry spice powder and saute for a minute. 

Add moong and salt, saute for 3-4 mins. Now cover to cook till moong is cooked till done but still crunchy. 

Now add chopped spinach and saute for few minutes till spinach srinks. Add chopped or pureed tomatoes and saute till raw smell of tomatoes goes off .

 Now add paneer cubes , adjust salt and saute for 2-3 mins on high flame to evaporate all extra moisture. switch off the flame and keep aside till layering.

In the mean while start preparing rice too. Boil enough water in a heavy bottom vessel, add all whole spices and salt in it. Add drained rice. 

Let it cook till 80% done but not completely soft. Drain rice in a sieve or colander , may be some liquid will drain. You can use this in your veggies or for kneading dough.

* Don't overcook otherwise you will end up with veggie khichadi. Use water as per requirement, as different rice needs different quantity of water. I don't add too much water to drain but it should be enough to boil your rice till right consistency.

Now for layering, first of all make layer of round sliced tomatoes in the base of the vessel. It will prevent veggies from burning while put on dum.

 Now divide veggies and rice in two to three equal parts. Spread one layer of veggies then spread some of mint leaves all over it then sprinkle, red color or saffron strands soaked in milk. 

Now spread next part of rice on it evenly so that it cover whole veggies.Sprinkle 2 tbsp of milk on it, then sprinkle 1/2 tsp of Kewda or rose water ,spread half of fried or grilled brown onions and some of mint leaves on it. Similarly make another layer of veggies on it and rice layer. 

Finally pour 2 tsp ghee all over it. You can make 2-3 layers of each veggies and rice, as per your convenience and quantity. 

* Reserve some fried onions for garnishing while serving.

Finally cover it well with an aluminum foil so that it can be put on dum. You can also seal it with dough.

Now keep a tawa on low flame and put this biryani pot on it and dum it for 25-30 mins. 

Switch of the flame and let it rest for at least 10-15 mins so that all the flavours and aroma of spices and essences get infused in whole dish. 

Then open the lid and flip biryani with fork or skewer to get nice fluffy rice. Garnish with fried onions and dry fruits.

Your aromatic,easy, yummy and flavourful biryani is ready to be served with tomato onion raita.

* Add some water to moong while cooking, if needed.

* Always try to cook rice and veggies simultaneously so that you will get nice fluffy biryani. Never cook rice too early otherwise it may stick. If it's not possible to cook both at a time then first cook veggies then go to rice. Or add a little ghee in rice and keep aside open to stop further cooking .

* Never mix biryani with spatula, always use a fork or best to flip it by tossing.

* If you ran out of fresh mint leaves then can use crushed dry mint also.

It's a one pot meal that none of the biryani lover can refuse. Its aroma is sufficient to bring you to the dinning room. 

This can be a hit dish for any get together or family party. You need not to serve too many dishes with it only simple raita is enough to accompany it.

Hope you will definitely give it a try, it might be looking a long recipe but believe me it will not take your much effort and time . 

At last you will never regret for trying it, it's a must try recipe for all biryani lovers.

Please stop by and pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot to me.

Happy cooking....