Paneer Veg Biryani in Oven

Today I prepared this paneer veg biryani in the oven for lunch for my veggie friends which is very easy to prepare if you have all the ingredients ready. I prefer to use home made paneer as most of the time, the store bought paneer becomes rubbery if over cooked. Otherwise, you can skip adding the sautéed paneer in the cooking tray and instead add them at the end once the biryani is ready.

Ingredients:

Basmati rice 3 cups

Cumin seeds 1/2 sp Cinnamon stick 1/4th inch
Clove 1
Star anise 1
Black cardamom 1

Green cardamom 3 Bay leaf  1

Coriander leaves 1/4 cup

Mint leaves 6 Cubed paneer 1/2 cup

Milk 1/4th cup

Saffron 1/2 sp

Biryani onions 1/4th cup

Ghee 1 sp

Cashew nuts sautéed in ghee 10

Oil 2 sp

Salt to taste

For marinade,
Mixed vegetables 2 cups like Potatoes, carrots, beans, gobi etc
Yogurt 1.5 cup whisked
Coriander powder 1sp
Cumin powder 1/2 sp
Red chilli powder 1 sp (adjust according to taste)
Turmeric 1/2 sp
Garam masala powder 1/2 sp ( dry roast Cinnamon stick 1/4th inch, 2 cloves, 1 small star anise, little mace and crush them and add immediately to the marinade to preserve the flavour)
Bay leaf 1
Biryani onions 1/2 cup ( store bought or home made )
Cardamom powder 1/2 sp
Whole black pepper corns 6
Slit Green chillies 2
Coriander leaves 1/4 th cup
Mint leaves 10 chopped
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients mentioned for marinade and leave it for at least half an hour.
2. Soak the rice for 20 mins.
3. Heat 1 sp oil in a pan and add all the marinated veggies and cook till the vegetables are half cooked.
4. Heat 1/2 sp ghee in another pan and sauté the paneer cubes abt adding little salt for 2 mins till they turn golden brown on the edges. Now immediately add these cubed paneer to the cooked veggies and mix.
4. Boil 4.5 cups water in a bowl by adding salt, oil 1sp, cumin seeds 1/2 sp, cinnamon, clove, black cardamom, green cardamom 3, bay leave, star anise, chopped coriander leaves and 3 mint leaves.
5. When the water is boiling, add the rice and cook till it is slightly watery and not completely dry and the rice is 3/4th cooked.
6. Grease an aluminium foil tray with ghee, add the half cooked vegetables in a single layer.
7. Now spread the rice on top of the veggies evenly.
8. Add saffron to the warm milk and add this milk to the rice.
9. Spread some fried onions on top.
10. Add some chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves (2-3), and cashew nuts on top and cover the tray with foil paper tightly.
11. Per heat the oven to 180C and keep the tray in oven for 25-30 mins.
12. Switch off the oven and do not open the tray for 15 mins.
13. Now open the tray, mix slightly with a fork and serve hot with any raitha or gravy curry of your choice.