Paneer Pulav/Rice.

When unexpected guests arrive...though you are smiling..your brain will automatically search your kitchen...your fridge...pantry....for something that can be cooked in a jiffy. For those unexpected ones I always store frozen paneer.....this is one of my favorite pulav for vegetarian guests and can be made in about 30 min if there are frozen paneer in the freezer. I had bookmarked this in a 2004 Pachakam magazine and ever since this is a favorite. This pulav can be had with any veg or non veg curry.

Ingredients:

Basmati rice: 1 1/2 cups.

Ghee or refined oil: 3 or 4 tbsp.

Jeera/cumin seeds: 1/4 tsp.

Cloves: 3 or 4.

Cinnamon: 2 pieces.

Cardomon: 3 or 4.

Cashew nuts chopped: 1 tbsp.

Kismis/dry grapes: 1 or 2 tbsp.

Onion: 1, sliced..

Paneer cubed: 100 gm or 1 packet.

Coriander leaves/Cilantro: for garnishing.

Method:

1.Cook rice with salt, strain and keep aside.

2.Heat a pan and put in ghee/refined oil and fry the paneer and drop into a bowl of water (this makes the paneer soft. Frying makes the paneer a bit hard.

3. In the same pan fry the sliced onion till brown, strain and keep aside, again in the same pan fry the kismis, cashew nuts strain and keep aside.

4. Put in all the spices; jeera, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and add the cooked rice and mix well. Add salt if needed. 

5. Mix in the paneer, fried onion, cashew-nuts, and Kismis. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with any veg or non veg curry.. 

Tip: If you are short of kismis/dry grapes and cashew-nuts....you can omit them....but make sure there are browned onions on top :)