Recipe - Paneer Basmati Pilaf--Paneer Pulao

Stephen Ceideburg
2 cup Basmati rice
8 ounce Paneer (see recipe)
4 tablespoon Light vegetable oil
One half cup Cauliflower florets
1 cup Diagonally cut or sliced up carrots
1 cup Chopped red or green bell
pepper
2 tablespoon Cashew halves
2 tablespoon Raisins
2 Bay leaves
1 Inch piece cinnamon stick
8 Whole cloves
One half teaspoon Black peppercorns
3 cup Water
Three fourths cup Canned tomato sauce
2 teaspoon Salt

In the traditional version of this dish, the rice, paneer and vegetables
all cook together. I like the vegetables to remain crunchy, however, so I
cook them separately, then stir them into the rice toward the end of its
cooking time. Serve this subtle pilaf lamb chops or spicy stews.

Wash rice thoroughly. Place in a bowl, cover with water and let soak 15
minutes. Drain.

Cut paneer into cubes. Brush with One half tablespoon of the oil and broil 2
minutes per side. Set aside.

Heat remaining oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add cauliflower,
carrots and peppers.

Stirfry for 5 minutes, or until edges of peppers start to brown. Remove
with slotted spoon and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium. Add cashews and fry until light golden; remove and
set aside. Add raisins and fry until plump; remove.

Add whole spices to the pan. Stir and cook 1 minute.

Add rice, increase heat to mediumhigh, and stir fry until rice is well
coated with oil and begins to glisten, about 5 minutes. Add water, tomato
sauce and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer
for 12 minutes. Uncover and gently stir in vegetables and paneer,

Cover and cook 5 minutes longer.

Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes,

Fluff rice gently with a fork and transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with
fried raisins and cashews.

PER SERVING: 365 calories, 11 g protein, 46 g carbohydrate, 15 g fat (6 g
saturated), cholesterol (not available), 716 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.

From an article by Laxmi Hiremath from the San Francisco Chronicle, 9/1/93.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini