How to Make Tomato Paneer Pulao - Paneer Pulao Recipe Step by Step

Learn how to make tomato paneer pulao, a tangy paneer pulao recipe with simple spices and ingredients. Paneer pulao is a great lunchbox recipe and stores well. 

Paneer and tomatoes go really well together and form the base of many popular dishes we know and love (like paneer butter masala and paneer jalfrezi) so why not marry the two to make a tomato paneer pulao, I thought one day. Most similar thoughts tend to just remain in my head while I go about doing more lazy things but on this particular Saturday, the pulao got made and both TH and I loved it. The moment he saw the finished pulao in the pan, he asked "can we make something else for lunch so I can take this in my lunchbox tomorrow?". I don't share paneer well since I love it but I did grudgingly agree. True love and all that.

Oh wait, dear reader. Why am I rambling about pulao lunches and TH's lunchbox when I have larger things to talk about? First things first. If you've been reading me long enough you'd know I moved to Sydney last year around this time, from Singapore. Well, as things turned out, this August found us packing up our apartment (yet again) and moving right back to Singapore. If you ask me why, it's a long story but suffice to say it was primarily a career-driven decision. Oh, and I work with Twitter now. Why change just one part of your life when there are so many other avenues to change around I thought. So that's that. New job, back to old city. We are still settling down and have dived into the highly unpleasant but thankfully quick process of apartment-hunting in Singapore. Wish us luck!

There's no good segue from that into a paneer pulao recipe so let me just get to it. If you love pulao recipes ( they do make wonderful lunchbox food) then try my vegetable pulao, methi pulao, and one of my favourites, mint pulao. I usually cook rice separately when making pulao so check out how to cook rice for pulao.

TOMATO PANEER PULAO RECIPE

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves 3-4

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups of cooked basmati rice
1 cup of cubed paneer
2 tbsp of ghee or butter
5-6 cloves
A large stick of cinnamon
1 bay leaf
A few green cardamom pods
1 cup of fresh tomato puree
1 tsp of ginger garlic paste
1 tsp of dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
1/2 tsp of red chilli powder (adjust to taste)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat 1 tbsp ghee or butter in a pan and lightly fry the paneer cubes. If using frozen paneer, make sure to completely defrost before this step. You can also make paneer at home and use that. Set aside to drain on kitchen napkins.

Add the remaining 1 tbsp ghee to the same pan and add the whole spices - bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom.

Fry on low flame until fragrant (about 10 seconds) and add the ginger garlic paste. Saute for a few seconds longer and add the pureed tomatoes and chilli powder.

Cook it down a bit, stirring frequently. Add salt.

When the tomato mixture has thickened a bit, add the kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves). Turn off the heat.

Add the cooked rice and paneer cubes. Mix gently to combine and keep closed for an hour or so for the flavours to get friendly.

Serve warm with a cooling raita and vegetable curry of choice.

Paneer pulao stores well so you can keep in refrigerator for up to 2 days. Gently re-heat before serving.

Notes:
You can replace red chilli powder with whole slit green chillies
Add some roasted cashew nuts or almonds to add some texture to the paneer pulao
Instead of kasuri methi, you can add some fresh coriander leaves, chopped
If the tomatoes are not sour enough, squeeze some lime juice over your pulao
Throw in some vegetables and peas to make it more nutritious and interesting