We love biryanis. Since it is both my father’s and my husband’s favourite food, maa and I have quite a few biryani recipes up our sleeves. Hence, you will find recipes for prawn biryani, chicken, mutton and even egg biryanis on my blog. However, the only one missing was a vegetable biryani. And that is because biryanis always meant, with meat, for us. In fact that is what it originally is, as well. Rice layered and cooked along with meat – cooked or uncooked – is a biryani. But even a hearty vegetables loaded biryani is a popular choice, especially with vegetarians. So, I decided to combine two of my favourite ingredients to create my paneer and spinach dum biryani. This is a spicy, Hyderabadi style biryani where I have steamed the rice and curried paneer, over dum, together.
And I am so glad that this biryani combination turned out to be finger licking yum. Moreover, this is also the first time I tried the dum style of cooking. Otherwise, all my other biryanis have been a quick, homestyle version. So quite a few firsts for me in this special vegetarian biryani recipe. While the husband relished the paneer and spinach dum biryani with raita, I didn’t even need it. It was that good. And you have got to take my word for it. Being the meat lovers that we are, we licked our plates clean. The paneer and spinach cooked in a yoghurt based curry along with fragrant basmati rice makes for a delectable meal, after all.
And I have realised that I love the pairing of paneer and spinach quite a bit. And if you do too, you may also like these recipes,
Baked spinach and paneer bhurji quesadilla
Palak paneer (spinach and paneer curry)
Making the biryani
I have used paneer and spinach here, you could however use any combination of vegetables and still use the same recipe. Also, while this is an easy biryani recipe, it isn’t particularly quick. I have made this paneer biryani with a lot of love hence, it has also taken me sometime. Therefore, you could try this one over a leisurely weekend. Also, the process of cooking the biryani on dum takes longer than just steaming it, because dum is a process of slow cooking. This, essentially, is done for biryanis with meat so that they cook throughly along with the rice. However, I have tried it here with my paneer and spinach, just so that the flavours infuse even better. And it was a success. Next time, I will do these even for my chicken/lamb biryanis.
However, if you want to save up on time and skip the dum (slow cooking process), you very well could. Since, the paneer and spinach are already going to be cooked, the only bit left would be to cook the rice completely. And that you could just cover and cook, as well. Now, making a proper biryani, though painstaking, is also a very satisfying process. At least, I definitely feel so. The whole process of cooking the rice with whole spices, making the curry base, layering it and then finally cooking it. And the fragrance of ghee and spices wafting through the house, is an added bonus!
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I agree the list of ingredients is lengthy and you may need to take time out, specially, to make it, but I promise that the end result is highly rewarding. If you are a vegetarian, then do try this version, you will love it. And for all you meat lovers, like us, my delicious paneer and spinach dum biryani is going to surprise you and how! So, do try it out too.
If you happen to try my biryani recipe or any other, I’d love to hear from you. You can share your food pictures with me over on Instagram. Also, you could share your feedback with me in the comments section, below. I will surely respond. 🙂
Eat hearty!
Paneer and spinach dum biryani
Equipment
- Shallow cooking pot with lid
Ingredients
- 1½ cups Basmati rice washed and soaked in water for 15 minutes
- 500 g paneer cut in cubes
- 300 g baby spinach washed
- ¼ cup yoghurt whisked
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1½ tbsp cumin powder
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tbsp garam masala powder
- 1 tbsp black pepper powder optional
- 1½ inch cinnamon sticks
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp black cumin seeds shah jeera
- 3 dried red chilis broken
- 4-5 green cardamoms
- 1 black cardamom
- 1 star anise
- 1 bay leaf
- 4-5 cloves
- 1 tsp saffron strands soaked in 3 tbsp warm milk
- ¼ cup ghee
- 1 large onion sliced
- 1 medium tomato sliced
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 3-4 fresh chilis sliced
- ¼ cup coriander leaves finely chopped
- 2-3 tbsp fried onions
- salt to tate
Others
- 1 large aluminum foil sheet for the dum cooking
Instructions
- In a cooking pot, bring to boil 3 cups of water along with the peppercorns, star anise, bay leaf, cumin seeds, black cardamom, 1 inch cinnamon, 3 cloves, 3 green cardamoms, 2 tbs ghee and 3-4 tbsp salt. When it comes to a rolling boil, add the soaked rice and cook for 10 minutes, then remove, drain and set aside
- In another pot, heat half of the remaining ghee along with the remaining whole spices and dried chilis. When fragrant, add the onions and fry until well browned
- Then add the ginger-garlic paste and saute´for 3-4 minutes and then the tomatoes and 3 tbsp hot water. Cook until they turn mushy
- In he meanwhile, whisk the yoghurt with all the spice powders (except the pepper powder) and 2 tbsp water. Once the tomatoes soften, lower the flame and add it to the pot. Mix well and cook until oil separates this masala base
- Then add the paneer cubes, a few chilis, salt to taste, pepper powder and half of the coriander leaves. Mix well and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes
- Then add the spinach leaves, cover and cook for 3-4 minutes util they wilt. Mix again and check for salt, adjust if needed and then remove the cooking pot from the flame. Level the paneer-spinach masala using a spatula
- Layer the rice over this gently (do not press it down)*. Then drizzle over the ghee, saffron infused milk, a pinch of garam masala, chilis, fried onions and 2 tbsp water
- Wrap the aluminum sheet tight over the pot and then place its lid over it. Then cook on your lowest heat for 10-12 minutes. Remove from frame and leave it on your kitchen counter for 15 minutes
- Carefully remove the foil - be aware of the steam thats going to release once your unwrap it. Using a flat spatula, gently scoop the biryani from the bottom - to get an even mix of rice, paneer and spinach
- Serve your delicious paneer and spinach dum biryani fresh and warm along with wedges of lime and a raita. Enjoy!
Notes
- If not using baby spinach, you could shred you spinach leaves finely to add it to the biryani
- *If you need to even the rice grains here, use a fork to do it. Otherwise your rice grains could break
- g - grams
- tsp - teaspoon
- tbsp - tablespoon
- 1 cup = 250 millilitres
