Veg Pulao Recipe | Paneer Pulao

This is perhaps one of the very favorite tiffin item for my son. He loves paneer in any form, be it Paneer paratha, Paneer sandwich, Paneer cutlets or you name it ! Nowadays he comes back from his school and gives me feedback how his friends shared his tiffin box and licked till the last grain. The paneer pulao is very easy to make and one pot meal. 

Ingredients:
1 cup Basmati rice
250 gms Paneer
150 gm French beans, thin strips
1/2 cup Green peas
1-2 Green chilies (optional)
2-3 Green Cardamoms
1 Star Anise 
1 inch Cinnamon stick
Salt and pepper powder according to your taste
Handful of coriander leaves
2 tbsp Sunflower oil + 1tbsp Ghee

Method:
Rinse and soak basmati rice for half an hour. Drain out the excess water and keep aside.
In a non stick kadai add 2 tsp oil, shallow fry paneer pieces with a sprinkle of salt and keep aside. 

In the same kadai, add remaining oil and throw in the garam masalas (cardamoms, star anise, cinnamon stick) fry till it leaves nice aroma. Add beans, carrot and sprinkle some salt and pepper. On medium flame keep stirring the vegetables for 2 minutes or till the raw smell goes off. Add green peas, stir fry for a minute and then add rice.  Add 2 cups of water sprinkle some salt and pepper and combine well. Cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes. Remove from fire, add the fried paneer pieces, fluff the pulao carefully with a fork and add ghee. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Paneer Pulao is ready to be served with Chilly Chicken or Chilly Tofu. We had this rice with Cucumber Raita.