Makhani Paneer Biryani My Food Story

on Oct 26, 2021, Updated Oct 21, 2024 I have never tasted a biryani I didn’t like and this one is topping the charts right now. I’m a big Paneer Butter Masala fan and I wanted to see how it would work in biryani form. And the first time I tried this recipe, it was eaten silently with sighs of satisfaction at the end. Winner!

What is Paneer Biryani?

Paneer Biryani is a unique vegetarian biryani with beautiful flavours from the paneer gravy which is layered with rice, herbs and fried onions. Together they are slow cooked to help the flavours permeate and for the rice to cook fully along with the paneer. This recipe is super special because:

The makhani gravy is based on my Paneer Butter Masala recipe and that recipe has over 80 votes rating it 5 stars! It’s a festive, celebratory recipe that looks gorgeous on the table and tastes fantastic It’s a complete meal – you don’t need more than some raita on the side It needs less than an hour to put together. Unlike non vegetarian recipes, there is no marinating or resting time so you basically have a fantastic meal really fast!

Makhani Biryani Ingredients

Here are the main ingredients you’ll need for this recipe This makhani gravy is based on the gravy I use for paneer butter masala and butter chicken. There is a slight change in how its cooked because it’ll continue to cook when the rice is layered with it.

Use kashmiri red chillies which add a beautiful orange colour to the gravy and don’t add too much heat to the dish Cashews and poppy seeds add a natural creaminess and richness to the gravy Choose the best quality of malai paneer you can find or make paneer at home with my recipe Make sure all your whole spices – bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns are less than a year old and have been stored in airtight containers. They lose their efficacy if they are older than that Kasuri Methi on its own is a bitter herb but when added to Indian gravies, they add a beautiful balance

Always use aged Basmati Rice for north Indian biryanis like these. Basmati Rice has a distinct aroma and flavour and is different from long grained rice in both flavour and cooking time. I like to use brands called Dawat or India Gate. The whole spices are used to flavour the water in which the rice is par cooked and the ghee adds some fat and coats each grain of rice To other layers in a biryani, apart from the paneer gravy and basmati rice are fried onions, coriander leaves and mint leaves. Making fried onions or birista is time consuming at home, so I always end up buying it. It’s easily available in most supermarkets or online stores now, and can be stored in the freezer for months.

Step by Step Recipe

1 Start by making the makhani gravy. Heat oil and butter in a large pot or dutch oven (the same vessel in which you’ll finally cook the biryani 2. Add onions, kashmiri red chillies, tomatoes, ginger garlic paste and saute. Cook everything till soft and pulpy 3. Add cashews, poppy seeds, ground masalas and cook this for another minute or two. And top this with water 4. Add a bouquet garni to the pot – this is basically whole spices tied in a cheesecloth, which makes it really easy to fish them out later, while still adding their flavour to the gravy 5 Once the masala has been simmering for 15 minutes, fish the bouquet garni out and discard the spices. Add kasuri methi, garam masala and ketchup and give it one final mix 6 Let the mixture cool completely 7-8 Add it to a blender along with some water and blend until smooth 9 To par boil basmati rice for biryani, bring water to a roaring boil. Add whole spices, ghee and washed, soaked basmati rice (after discarding the soaking liquid) 10 Boil for 7 minutes till par cooked 11 Strain well using a colander and discard any liquid 12 Check the grains of rice. They should still have a bite to them – that’s when you know it’s cooked right 13 Pour the blended makhani gravy back into the dutch oven. Mix in some water and bring it to a boil 14 Add Paneer pieces and let this come to a quick simmer 15 Add a layer each of mint, coriander and fried onions 16 Add all the basmati rice on top and spread it evenly 17 Pour ghee on top of the rice 18-19 Smoke the biryani by placing a steel vessel in the middle of the rice. Add hot coal in it and pour a teaspoon of oil. As soon as you start seeing smoke, cover the dutch oven tightly with a lid and let this cook for 15 minutes. If you don’t have a heavy bottomed pot, keep your pot on a tava or skillet with the flame on. This prevents the bottom from burning. Once 15 minutes are up, turn off the flame and rest for 10 minutes. 20 Finally remove the coal and sprinkle the remaining fried onions on top, lightly mix and serve hot. It’s incredible how good this biryani is. And to be honest, a paneer makhani biryani is not really a thing. It’s just something I created for my family because we all enjoy experimenting with flavours. But here’s the thing – you can create your own version using this recipe if you have a favourite curry you want to turn into a biryani. It’s this easy!

Richa’s Top Tips

This paneer biryani recipe will make everyone reach for seconds because it is THAT good! Be sure to leave me a comment if you try this recipe. And don’t forget to send me your recreations over on my IG @my_foodstory. I love hearing from you!