PANEER BREYANI

INGREDIENTS: Paneer made with 4 litres of milk 400g mushrooms, sliced 250ml frozen peas 45ml sunflower oil 1 onion, finely chopped 1 cinnamon stick 1 bay leaf 5ml cumin seeds 15ml crushed garlic 15ml red chilli powder 2 tomatoes, skinned and chopped 5ml ground cumin 5ml ground coriander 5ml garam masala 2ml turmeric Salt to season 250ml breyani lentils, boiled and drained 60ml fresh cream 1000ml cooked basmati rice 50ml butter 5ml egg yellow food colouring 2 medium onions, thinly sliced and browned, for garnishing 125ml boiling water Coriander to garnish HERE'S HOW: Heat oil in a pot and add the cinnamon stick and bay leaf. When the spices are fragrant, add the cumin seeds and sauté until they begin to splutter. Add the onion and salt. Saute the onion until golden brown. Add the crushed garlic and sauté until the garlic turns pale golden in colour. Add the red chilli powder and stir for a few seconds before adding the chopped tomatoes. Add the ground cumin, coriander, garam masala and turmeric. Stir the sliced mushrooms into the spices and tomatoes. Sauté for two minutes – the moisture should evaporate and the mushrooms should be dry. Scatter the frozen peas over. Pour the fresh cream over and sprinkle half the lentils over the peas Layer the basmati rice over the lentils and then sprinkle the remaining lentils over. Slice the butter into little blocks and place over the rice. Drizzle the egg yellow over the rice and pour the boiling water over. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and lower the heat. Steam on the lowest heat setting until the rice has heated through and the excess moisture has evaporated. Slice the paneer into blocks. Fry the paneer in sunflower oil until golden brown. Place the fried paneer into boiling water for a minute. Remove the paneer from the water and place the pieces over the steamed rice. Garnish with fresh coriander and brown onion slices. YUDHIKA'S TIPS: Add par cooked carrots and potatoes to this recipe. Low fat yoghurt can be used instead of fresh cream.