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paneer & vegetable biryani
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4.66 from 149 votes

Vegetable and Paneer Biryani - Instant Pot

Vegetable and Paneer Biryani is a classic Indian one pot meal that is full of flavors and aromas from whole spices, garam masala and the long grain basmati rice.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 6
Calories: 453kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Extra long grain Basmati rice
  • 2 cups water for soaking
  • 3 tablespoons ghee divided
  • 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 4 whole green cardamoms
  • 4 cloves
  • 10 whole black peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cup carrots chopped lengthwise into 1-inch x ¼ inch strips
  • 1 cup green beans chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 cup white mushrooms halved
  • ½ cup red pepper chopped into 1-inch x ½ inch strips
  • ½ cup corn
  • 1 cup paneer cubed into ½ inch cubes
  • ½ tablespoon ginger grated
  • ½ tablespoon garlic minced
  • ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 3 teaspoons kosher salt divided
  • 2 cups water for cooking
  • 2 tablespoons fresh mint chopped
  • ½ cup cilantro chopped

Instructions

  • Rinse and soak the rice in water for 20 minutes. Drain water after 20 minutes. 
  • Set the Instant Pot to Saute(More) mode and heat half of the ghee. Add sliced onions and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the onions are lightly caramelized. Take half of the onions out and reserve for garnish.
  • Add remaining ghee, cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves, black peppers, and bay leaves. Cook for 30 seconds. Add all the veggies (carrots, green beans, mushrooms, red pepper, corn, paneer). Press cancel and deglaze the pot removing any browning. Use 1 to 2 tablespoons of water if needed.
  • Add ginger, garlic, turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, and half of the salt. mix well. Add mint, rice, and remaining salt. Add water. Mix well, making sure most of the rice is underwater.
  • Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to sealing. Pressure Cook(low-pressure) for 5 minutes followed by Quick release. Open the Instant Pot. Garnish with caramelized onions and cilantro. Serve hot with Raita or yogurt.

Video

Notes

Notes:
  • Have an air fryer? Use it or perfect golden fried onions instead of caramelizing the onions in the Instant Pot.
  • Deglaze the pot using the liquids from the vegetables to remove any browned bits from the sautéing of the onions. This will help the Instant Pot come to pressure and also prevent the “BURN” signal.
  • You can make this recipe Vegan by using coconut oil instead of ghee and extra firm tofu instead of paneer
  • I have modified the cooking time for this recipe to 5 minutes LO pressure cook as sometimes store-bought paneer can get chewy when cooked under high pressure. If your Instant Pot does not have HI/LO pressure cook options, you can cook for 6 minutes under high pressure and then stir in the paneer in the end. 

Nutrition

Calories: 453kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 1200mg | Potassium: 365mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4460IU | Vitamin C: 23.8mg | Calcium: 233mg | Iron: 1.7mg
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