Spiced Rice with Paneer is a recipe full of spices, a flavor bomb, suitable for those who love food rich in taste. The preparation of the dish is slightly long, but in my opinion, it is worth it.

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Medium
Preparation time: 1 Hour
Portions: 4/5 people
Cooking methods: Stove
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

1 qt Whole milk
1/3 cup Plain natural yogurt
1.8 oz Lemon juice (two tablespoons)
2 pinches Fine salt
1 cup Rice
5 leaves Bay leaves
2 Cloves
2 cloves Garlic
2 tsp Coarse salt
1 1/2 cups Plain natural yogurt
1 Bell pepper (small)
6.3 oz Paneer
6.3 oz Chicken (boiled or grilled)
1 1/2 tsp Chili powder
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Fine salt
1 tsp Parsley
10.5 oz Onions (3 onions)
3 cloves Garlic
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tbsp Turmeric powder
q.b. Olive oil
2 pinches Fine salt
1 Tomato
3.5 oz Milk
3.5 oz Milk

Preparation

For the preparation of Paneer, follow the recipe you will find here.
Use the quantities indicated in the recipe.
Start the preparation of Paneer first, as it will need to rest for about an hour.
In a pot with plenty of water, add the bay leaves, garlic, cloves, and salt.
In the meantime, wash the rice under running water using a colander.
Let it drain for a few minutes.
As soon as the water boils, add the rice and cook it al dente.
Then drain it in a colander, occasionally fluffing the grains.
Place the yogurt in a bowl, add the chili powder, garam masala, turmeric, salt, parsley, and mix.
Wash and clean the bell pepper from the seeds inside and cut it into small cubes.
Add it to the yogurt mixture.
Cut both the paneer and previously boiled or grilled chicken into fairly small cubes.
At this point, add the paneer and chicken to the yogurt mixture.
Mix well.
In a pan, place the yogurt dressing and cook for about ten minutes.
It should slightly dry.
Turn off the heat and set aside.
Clean the onions, chop them into pieces or slices as preferred.
In a large non-stick pot, add a bit of oil, once hot, fry the onions and chopped garlic for a few minutes.
At this point, add the washed tomatoes, seedless and diced, turmeric, garam masala, salt, milk, and cook for a few more minutes.
Leave 1/3 of the onion mixture in the pot, place the rest on a plate, and set aside.
On top of the onion dressing left in the pot, add half of the yogurt dressing and half of the previously boiled and drained rice.
Continue cooking on low heat.
Then make another layer of yogurt dressing, drizzle with a bit of milk, add half of the onion dressing set aside, the remaining rice, and finally, the remaining part of the onion dressing.
Cover with a lid and cook for about 10 more minutes.
Serve trying to take all the layers and then mix on the plate.

Suggestions/Tips

The suitable rice is Basmati rice, but if you wish, you can use another type of rice that holds up well during cooking. I have used Parboiled rice in this case.

It would be preferable to use a clay pot for the final cooking, but if you don’t have one, use a non-stick pot. This is important to prevent the onion from sticking during the last cooking phase.

If you prefer a less spiced rice, you can also use only Garam Masala, without adding other spices. There are various versions of Garam Masala; the one I used for this recipe consists of coriander, cumin seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper. Some versions also include turmeric, ginger, garlic, or paprika.

If you don’t want to prepare Paneer, you can use a slightly aged cheese.

For the Paneer recipe, click here.

If you liked the Spiced Rice with Paneer recipe, try other Indian recipes:

Cheese Naan Bread

Fava Bean, Bean, Potato, and Duck Curry

Indian-Style Farro

Tandoori Chicken

Tortiglioni with Chicken and Garam Masala