Paneer Vegetable Pulao

Being God’s perfect idiot, I didn’t appreciate rice until I was well into adulthood.

It was on the table every night growing up - steamed basmati with a little salt - and it never appealed to me because it was so…blank.

Try it with curry? No. I’ll have curry and rotli.
Try it with dal? No. I’ll have dal and rotli.
Try it with yogurt/curd? No. Yuck. No. I’ll just starve.

God, I was an impossible child. I have no idea how Mom put up with me. I am so grateful Will isn’t like this.

When I started cooking for myself and family, I realized that rice didn’t have to be plain.

It could have various flavors and textures and basically, be my favorite thing ever - a giant fucking bowl of deliciousness that I can eat while sitting on the couch, binge-watching Justified.

Yes, it’s far more labor-intensive to make this than plain white rice but it’s also really good.

This is my starter recipe - you can fuck with it as you see fit. Roast the veggies, throw in a little amchur, drizzle with tamarind chutney and pomegranate seeds. Make it yours. Have fun.

Paneer Vegetable Pulao - Serves Six

Ingredients

1.5 cups rice

3 cups water

1 medium sized onion, chopped

1 8oz block paneer, chopped into small cubes - you can buy this at the Indian store or you can get real fancy and make it yourself at home like a bad-ass Indian mom/cheesemonger.

1.5 cups mixed vegetables - peas, carrots, corn, green beans, cauliflower - whatever you have/like. I used frozen veggies and picked out all of the lima beans because lima beans are trash.

1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped

5 tablespoons butter, divided

2 tsp ginger-chili paste - If your mom won’t make it for you, you can buy your chili-ginger paste from the Indian store or you can make it yourself by blitzing equal parts ginger and serrano chilis in the food processor

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp cumin seeds - Yes. You need both ground cumin and cumin seeds because cumin is the workhorse of the masala dabba.

2 tsp mustard seeds

2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp coriander powder

Chili powder to taste

1/4 cup chopped tomatoes or tomato sauce

Salt to taste

Slivered almonds/roasted cashews to taste

Desiccated Coconut to taste

Instructions

RICE:

Soak rice for three hours in cold water. Watch the new season of Never Have I Ever while you wait. Team Daxton all the way. Dude totally gave me Dylan McKay/Jake Ryan vibes in Season 2 and I am here for it.

Wash and drain until water runs clear. This helps remove any excess starch which will make your rice all claggy and shit. No-one wants that.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter on low heat.

Add drained rice and cook for two minutes, stirring frequently until it gets that great toasty, nutty smell.

Increase heat to medium.

Add three cups of water, salt (I used a teaspoon - you can use less or more depending on preference) and a teaspoon of turmeric powder.

Cook for ten minutes or until done. You’ll know when it’s done because all of the water will be absorbed/you will hear the voice of your ancestors yelling at you to switch off the damn stove or the rice will be ruined.

Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Dump it in a large popcorn bowl or something.

VEGETABLES AND PANEER

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter on low heat.

Stir in ginger-chili paste until fully melted in the butter. .

Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds and wait until they start popping and spluttering. Be careful when they do. I have a shitload of freckles on my neck and I’m like, 67% convinced they’re not freckles but rather projectile mustard and cumin seeds that just stuck to my body.

Add onions and cook for five minutes.

Add turmeric powder and stir until the onions all golden and glistening.

Add silvered almonds and desiccated coconut and stir. Your kitchen probably smells amazing at this point.

Cook on low heat until onions are translucent, stirring occasionally. Let it flow, let yourself go, slow and low and that is the tempo. Shout out and endless love to the Beastie Boys.

Increase heat to medium.

Add 1 tablespoon of butter.

Add paneer and cook until golden brown. This is gonna require lots of stirring and flipping and making sure the cubes are browned on all sides. Some people like soft paneer and those people are wrong. Paneer should be crispy and chewy. Like good halloumi.

Unrelated - did you guys know there’s a place in Camden Market called Oli Baba’s that does halloumi fries? Why isn’t this a global phenomenon? They need to franchise as aggressively as Starbucks.

Add red peppers and the rest of the veggies, give them a quick stir and cook for about five minutes.

Add tomatoes and stir.

Add coriander powder, cumin powder and chili powder and taste.

It probably needs salt. Chuck some salt in there.

Cover and cook for ten minutes on low heat.

Take your now cooled rice and add it to the pan, mixing until veggies, rice and paneer are incorporated all together.

Melt two tablespoons of butter, pour over rice mixture and stir again.

Increase the heat to high and cook for two minutes - this is a completely optional step. I happen to like dry and crispy rice.

Remove from heat.

Garnish with slivered almonds and desiccated coconut.

Serve with cilantro chutney (bunch of fresh cilantro + a couple of jalapenos + a tablespoon of cashews/peanuts/almonds + a dash of lemon juice + a pinch of salt + a pinch of sugar + a little water blitzed in the food processor) and hot buttered naan because carbs on carbs is a valid lifestyle choice.

Eat well, feed the people you love and remember - people didn't die in the spice trade for you to underseason your food.