Paneer Pulao: Super Quick, Bachelor Friendly

So, please excuse the lousy photos. I had no great hope of this dish turning out so good that I'd be driven to frantically write a post about it. Which means, as you can see, the pics were taken at work. On my desk, to be precise, in a rather unattractive looking Tupperware dabba. So excuse the fact that the rice is not looking like a million bucks and that there is a spoon plonked right in the middle of it in some pics.

I ate a spoon of this, that would not fit into the tiffins, coz I never waste food. I eat food. It was gorgeous. I resisted wolfing it all down immediately. So I came to work, took those photos and got down to writing this out.

Super Quick Paneer Pulao. Yeah baby, come to momma.

Make this. Eat this. Feed this to other people. And thank god because you have the capacity to make this at will.

Name: Paneer Pulao (Super Quick)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins tops
Recipe Source: Tarla Dalal (plus my additions)
Serves: 2 people

You need:

200 gms (or a cup and a half) of Basmati rice
3 tomatoes (part chopped fine, part pureed)
100-150 gms fresh paneer, diced (or crumbled if you so prefer)
1 big onion, chopped fine
1 tbsp garlic mashed
1 tbsp ginger mashed
2 green chillies mashed
4 cloves
1 big green cardamom
2 inch stick cinnamon
3 tbsp sour curd
1 tsp garam masala
Lots of coriander leaves, chopped
Water
Ghee
Salt

Here's how you make it:

- Wash the basmati thrice and then leave it to rest for 10-15 minutes while you get everything else ready.

- Heat the pressure cooker. Add ghee to it (I added 2 tbsp). When it is hot, add the cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. (I grind these three spices roughly in my mortar and pestle, you could do that or use it whole)

- Add the onion, garlic, ginger, green chillies. Mix well, When they are all fragrant, add the tomatoes, pureed and chopped, and mix well. Add salt. Cover and let it cook till the tomatoes are soft and mashed.

- Add the rice, mix well. Add the sour curd. Mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat.

- Add the paneer and garam masala. Mix nicely. Now add water (not much, we are going to pressure cook for just one whistle as the rice has been soaking for a bit beforehand). Adjust salt. Pressure cook for one whistle.

- Also, note this - if you have soaked the rice for at least 20 minutes and then added it to the pressure cooker, mixed it around well until it is half cooked - you need not whistle it either. Just cover with lid, let the steam escape on medium heat, and you will be sorted. This is what I prefer doing, it keeps the paneer soft - pressure cooking cottage cheese can harden it.

- Open when the steam has subsided. Fluff the rice with a fork, garnish with coriander and serve hot (or pack off in a tiffin like I did). Raita goes well. I found it pretty awesome on its own. But whatever you do, please do yourselves a favour and make this!