Veg Handi Biryani

Wishing everyone a Belated Happy New Year!!!
Got this awesome recipe book set as a gift from my mom. "Tasty Eating for Healthy Living" by Sanjeev Kapoor. It is a set of five books. I made Veg Handi Biryani from Volume Four.  I just made one change to the original recipe. I added paneer and capsicum as well.The dish turned out very good. My boys ate it happily which means that it was good. :) It is a very good dish for fussy eaters.

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice: 1 1/2 cups
Carrot: 1 cut in cubes
Cauliflower: 1/4 medium separated into florets
French beans: 10-15
Green Peas: 1/2 cup
Capsicum: 1 medium
Paneer: 200 gms
Onions: 4 medium
Saffron: a few threads
Kewra: a few drops
Salt to taste
Green Cardamoms: 2-3
Black Cardamom: 1
Cloves: 2-3
Cinnamon: 1 inch
Bay leaf: 1
Oil: 3 tsp
Caraway seeds: 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp
Coriander powder: 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
Yogurt: 3/4 cup
Tomatoes: 2 chopped
Coriander leaves: for garnishing
Mint leaves: for garnishing
Ghee: 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Chop one onion and slice the others.
2. Soak the saffron in kewra water.
3. Boil the rice in four cups of salted water with the green cardamon, black cardamon, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves, until 3/4th done. Drain and spread the rice on a cotton cloth. This way all the grains of rice will be separate from each other. 
4. Boil the carrot, cauliflower, french beans and green peas together in three cups of salted water till 3/4th done. Drain and refresh under running water.
5. Heat half the oil and saute the sliced onions till golden brown. Drain on a kitchen towel.
6. Heat the remaining oil. Add the caraway seeds, and when they change colour, add the chopped onion and saute till golden.
7. Add the ginger garlic paste and stir well. 
8. Next add the coriander and turmeric powder, and the yogurt, and mix well.
9. Then add the tomatoes and cook on medium heat till the oil separates from the masala.
10. Add the boiled vegetables, capsicum and paneer and mix well.
11. Arrange alternate layers of the vegetables and rice in a handi. Sprinkle saffron flavoured kewra water, coriander leaves, mint leaves, sauteed onion slices and ghee over every rice layer. Make sure you end with the rice layer topped with the garnishes.
12. Cover and seal with aluminium foil or roti dough. 
13. Keep the handi on a tawa and cook on low heat for 20 minutes.
14. Serve hot with raita or dal and papad.

Paneer Do-Pyaaza

Who does not love paneer? Ever since I returned home, I have been making a lot of paneer dishes, because back in Jeddah, the paneer that was available in stores or in resturaunts, was very tough. Once I found an Indian brand of frozen paneer and I stocked up for the whole month!! Inspite of me making so many paneer dishes, I realize that I have not posted any here. Let me start with this one....Paneer Do-Pyaaza

Ingredients:
Paneer cubes (Cottage Cheese): 200 gms
Oil
Green Cardamom: 2
Cumin Seeds (jeera): 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder (haldi): a pinch
Red Chilli powder: a pinch
Capsicum diced: 2
Onions diced: 2 large
Tomatoes diced: 2
Garam Masala: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
Corriander leaves
Lemon Juice: of half a lemon

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan and add cardamoms and cumin seeds.
• When they crackle, add the turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Saute for about 30 secs.
• Add the capsicum and onion, and stir fry for a few minutes.
• Then add the tomatoes. Cover and cook on medium flame till tomatoes are a bit cooked. 
• Next, add the paneer and mix well.
• Add the garam masala and the salt and cook well.
• Garnish with lemon juice and Corriander leaves.