I am a huge pan of paneer, and I pretty much love any Indian dish made with it. This Hariyali Paneer Biryani with Raita might just be my new favorite. Paneer is also my daughter’s favorite, so we eat it often. If you have not had paneer, it is a simple cheese made from only 3 ingredients. It is actually pretty easy to make at home. I used store bought for this recipe, but will post sometime soon on how to make your own.
Hariyali paneer biryani with raita is a very flavorful dish. Hariyali means ‘greenery’ in Hindi and this sauce has plenty of it. Coriander, mint, garlic, chilies and cashews are blended into an aromatic, herby and mildly spicy sauce. The paneer is marinated and then either grilled or pan fried until it gets a nice crispy outside. The dish is served with biryani and a simple cucumber raita.
If you want to try out more Indian cuisine (you will be glad you did), check out some other Indian recipes here.
Hariyali Paneer Biryani with Raita and Basmati Rice
Ingredients
For the sauce and paneer:
- 1 cup cilantro leaves
- 1/2 cup mint leaves
- 6 garlic cloves
- 4 green chiles jalapeno, serrano or other – stemmed and seeded
- 6 cashews or peanuts
- salt to taste
- lemon juice to taste about a tsp
- 2 cups diced paneer cubes
- oil for frying
For the biryani:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cardamom pods
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 2 star anise pods
- 2 bay leaves
- ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup the green sauce you made
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 cup green beans cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 cup green peas
- 2 cups basmati rice
- sliced scallions
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the raita:
- 1 seedless mini cucumber grated
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- salt to taste
Instructions
For the raita:
- Combine the ingredients and mix well. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice if needed. Set aside for serving.
For the sauce and paneer:
- Combine the sauce ingredients except the paneer and oil in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Reserve 1/2 cup of sauce for the rice and mix the rest with the paneer and allow to marinated for 30 min to a few hours.
- When ready to cook the paneer, heat a few tbsp of oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the paneer. Cook on one side until browned and crisp, then flip and brown other sides.
For the biryani:
- Heat a sauce pan with tight fitting lid over medium heat and add the butter. Add the spices and salt and cook them for a minute or two until fragrant. Add the rice and stir. Add the 1/2 cup green sauce and water according to your package for the 2 cups of rice. Also add the peas and greenbeans, then cover with the lid, reduce to low and cook according to the package.
- Allow the rice to sit for 10 minutes then fluff with a fork and remove the whole spices before serving.
To serve:
- Dish up some biryani into a bowl and top with paneer and some raita. Serve with Indian pickles if you are lucky enough to have some.