Matar Paneer Pulao

Matar Paneer Pulao - the vibrant and aromatic dish prepared with soft paneer cubes and sweet green peas cooked to perfection with fragrant basmati rice and a blend of spices.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: rice

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Servings: people

Calories: 464kcal

Author: Geetha

Equipment

1 instant pot (I use Duo 7 in 1, 5 Quart)
1 Bowl
2 spoons

Ingredients

1 Cup = 250ml ; 1 Tablespoon = 15ml ; 1 Teaspoon = 5ml

For Spiced Paneer

250 gms Paneer cut into 1 x 1 inch cubes
⅕ Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1 Teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
½ Teaspoon Garam Masala
Salt as required
1 Teaspoon Oil

For Pulao

2 Tablespoons Oil
1 Bay Leaf
½ inch Cassia
5 Cloves
3 Green Cardamom
1 Star Anise
small piece Black Stone Flower/Kalpasi
1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
7-8 Cashews
1 medium Onion peeled and finely chopped
5 Green Chillies each slit into 2 pieces
1 Teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste
1 Teaspoon Garam Masala
Salt as required
3 sprigs Mint Leaves remove leaves from the stem, wash and chopped
10-12 sprigs Fresh Coriander Leaves washed and chopped
160 gms (or) 1 Cup Frozen Green Peas thawed
670 gms (or) 3 cups Extra Long Grain Basmati Rice
4.5 Cups Water

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Place 2 cups basmati rice in a deep-bottomed bowl and wash it under cold tap water 2-3 times, or until the water becomes clear.
670 gms (or) 3 cups Extra Long Grain Basmati Rice
Add fresh water and soak the rice for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, place chilli powder, turmeric, salt, garam masala in a bowl and mix well with a spoon.
⅕ Teaspoon Turmeric Powder, 1 Teaspoon Red Chilli Powder, ½ Teaspoon Garam Masala, Salt
Now add paneer cubes and oil to the bowl and toss until they are coated with spice mixture.
250 gms Paneer, 1 Teaspoon Oil
Plug in an instant pot pressure cooker, turn the sauté mode ON and add oil.
When the oil is hot, add the cumin, bay leaves, cassia, cloves, green cardamom, star anise, kalpasi and fry briefly until the spices become aromatic.
2 Tablespoons Oil, 1 Bay Leaf, ½ inch Cassia, 5 Cloves, 3 Green Cardamom, 1 Star Anise, small piece Black Stone Flower/Kalpasi, 1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
Now, add cashews and fry until they turn light brown.
7-8 Cashews
Next, stir in green chillies and then add onion and sauté until the onion turns translucent.
1 medium Onion, 5 Green Chillies
Now add the ginger garlic paste and sauté for a minute.
1 Teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste
Stir in spice coated paneer and cook for a couple of minutes. Stir regularly to prevent the paneer and onion from sticking to the base of the pot.
While the paneer is cooking, drain water from the soaked rice.
Now add garam masala, salt, mint leaves, thawed green peas and fresh coriander leaves.
1 Teaspoon Garam Masala, Salt, 3 sprigs Mint Leaves, 10-12 sprigs Fresh Coriander Leaves, 160 gms (or) 1 Cup Frozen Green Peas
Stir well ensuring not to break paneer cubes.
Now press the CANCEL button.
Add the rice, water and gently stir. Check the taste and add more salt if necessary.
4.5 Cups Water, 670 gms (or) 3 cups Extra Long Grain Basmati Rice
Secure the pot with the lid and move the pressure valve to the SEALING position.
Press the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL button and set the timer for 4 minutes.
Initially, the instant pot shows ON and the timer begins when the pressure is built up.
Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes after the timer goes off.
After 10 minutes, move the pressure valve to VENT to release the pressure manually.
Once the small knob beside the pressure valve goes down open the pot, give it a 5-minute wait, and then fluff the rice with a fork.
Enjoy scrumptious one pot matar paneer pulao with cucumber raita, jeera aloo or any side dish of your choice.

Notes

Wash Rice: Rinse and wash the rice under cold running water for at least 3-4 times until the water is clear.

Soak Rice: Soaking the rice for 15-20 minutes reduces the cooking time. However, if you soak it longer for over 30 minutes, reduce the liquid slightly to compensate, otherwise, the rice may become a little mushy.

Remove Whole Spices: While serving, try to remove the whole spices as they are used to impart a lovely flavour and aroma to the pulao rice. These spices taste quite strong and leave an unpleasant aftertaste.

Total Cooking Time: The pressure cooking time is not the whole cooking time. Before the timer starts to clock down, the instant pot takes some time to build up pressure. It calculates the time depending on the quantity inside the pot. The total time to prepare this pulao rice includes sauteing vegetables and spices, coming to pressure, countdown time, and natural pressure release.

Deglaze: To avoid getting a BURN message, make sure to deglaze the pot before covering it.

Nutrition