Paneer and black chickpea (kala chana) biryani pie
Truly a one pot meal…A dum vegetarian biryani pie with paneer and black chickpeas that has a buttery naan as a lid to give it ‘dum’ and a crispy potato layer at the bottom worth fighting for.
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What if you could eat a pie with two comfort foods in one? If that sounds wonderful then look no further than this recipe of a flavourful makhni biryani topped with a soft buttery naan lid. And let me tell you it is absolutely delicious!!
Dum biryani means biryani – a mix of rice and vegetables/meat that is cooked low and slow in a sealed container. Cooking biryani in this manner allows the flavours to mature and intermingle resulting in an extremely flavourful end product. Making biryani therefore is definitely a time-consuming process requiring multiple steps but absolutely worth every bite.
To achieve textures and flavours, I layered the biryani in a spring foam pan with different components which bakes in the oven for a long time. The bottom layer of this biryani comprises of superfine slices of potatoes that forms a ‘panfried’ layer of crust worth fighting for. The next layer is the fragrant saffron rice cooked with whole spices followed by black chickpea and paneer stir fry. This layer is highly customizable, you could put stir fry veggie mix here or masala eggs or even a layer of kofta.
Further on, I topped the black chickpea and paneer stir fry with my makhni gravy and then completing the layering with another fragrant layer of saffron rice. To give the ‘dum’ to the layers, I topped it with a butter naan sprinkled with black sesame seeds. The biryani pie then cooks in the oven making those slices of potatoes turn into a golden crust at the bottom and a soft naan at the top. This recipe is a must try if you are looking for a whole load of textures and flavours.
Now to the pointers on getting it right:
- Choose a long grain rice that is non sticky. A mushy rice just doesn’t work for biryani unless you are ready to eat khichdi instead ?
- Cook each component separately and check seasoning before layering.
- A generous sprinkling of fried onions, cashews and raisins add to the richness of the biryani making it exotic
- Equally layer each component pressing it down as you go for uniformity.
- And lastly, don’t skimp on ghee. Loads of ghee is what makes the biryani restaurant style ?
So, get ready to read one of the longest recipes I have written on this blog!!
Recipe Card
Paneer and black chickpea (kala chana) biryani pie
Recipe Rating
AUTHOR
Hema B Kathrani
CUISINE
Indian
PREP TIME
40 minutes
COOK TIME
1 hour 15 minutes
SERVINGS
Makes a 9 inch pie
Author: Hema B Kathrani | Cuisine: Indian | Category: Mains
Prep Time: 40 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes | Servings: Makes a 9 inch pie
Truly a one pot meal…A dum vegetarian biryani pie with paneer and black chickpeas that has a buttery naan as a lid to give it ‘dum’ and a crispy potato layer at the bottom worth fighting for.
Ingredients
- For the potato layer:
- 1 large sized potato
- 1 ½ tsp red chili powder
- Salt to taste
- 4 tbsp of butter
- For the saffron rice:
- 1 cup of long grain rice
- Whole spices:
- 2 cardamom
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cloves
- 1-inch cinnamon stick
- Saffron milk:
- ¼ cup full fat milk
- Pinch of saffron
- 3 tbsp ghee/butter
- Salt to taste
- Paneer and black chickpea layer:
- 1 cup boiled black chickpea (kala chana)
- 1 cup paneer cubed
- 1 large onion sliced
- 2 tsp ghee
- Spices:
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp biryani masala
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin-coriander powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup thick makhni gravy *see note
- For the naan:
- ¼ cup + 1 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp thick yogurt
- 1 ½ tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp black sesame seeds
- For garnishing:
- ¼ cup fried onions
- 3 tbsp fried cashews
- 2 tbsp golden raisins
- 2 tbsp mint and coriander chopped
Method
- Make the naan dough:
- In a bowl, combine plain flour, salt, baking powder and whisk well.
- Add yogurt to make a soft, pliable dough.
- Cover it with a wet napkin.
- Prepare the rice:
- Wash the rice 2-3 times and soak in 5 cups of warm water for 30 minutes.
- Add the whole spices and salt to the rice and cook over high flame till the rice is almost cooked.
- Drain the rice in colander and keep it aside to cool.
- To make saffron milk, warm the milk in a bowl. Turn off the flame and add saffron.
- Prepare the paneer and black chickpea layer:
- Heat a pan and put ghee. Add cumin seeds and let it sizzle.
- Add sliced onions and salt and fry till they turn pink.
- Combine black chickpea with all spices and sauté for few minutes.
- Add paneer and mix well.
- For potato layer:
- Peel the potato and using a mandolin slice the potato in thin slices.
- Drench the slices in ice cold water for 5 minutes.
- Drain and dry.
- Assembling the biryani:
- Preheat the oven to 170 C.
- Grease a 9-inch springfoam pan with ghee.
- Layer the base with potato slices, seasoning with salt and red chili powder as you build the layers.
- Place dollops of butter all over the potatoes.
- Next, spoon the rice over the potato layer and spread it evenly.
- Drizzle half of the saffron milk and 1 ½ tbsp of ghee.
- For the 3rd layer, place the paneer and black chickpea stir fry and spread it evenly.
- Compress the layers for uniformity.
- Spread the makhni gravy all over the stir fry.
- Repeat the rice, saffron milk and ghee layer.
- To make the naan, roll out the dough in a 11-inch circle.
- Place the naan over the biryani pie pressing the excess at the edges.
- Brush the naan and the edges generously with ghee and sprinkle sesame seeds.
- Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
- Place a foil over the pan and continue to cook for another 20 minutes.
- To serve:
- Gently release the latch and lift away the sides.
- Detach the butter naan and either serve it as a whole or broken in large pieces.
- Garnish the biryani with onions, cashews, raisins and herbs.
- Scoop the rice with the potatoes at the bottom and serve hot with the naan.
- Enjoy it hot with a cool raita.
Notes
- Depending on the yogurt and the flour you use, you may need to increase the quantity of the liquid (yogurt) while making the dough for the naan.
- Soak cubes of paneer in boiling salted water for one minute. Drain and then put it to use. You will get a deliciously soft paneer to enjoy.
- To get the best results out of raisins, soak them in a bowl of boiling water for 2 minutes. Water will rehydrate the raisins making them plump and juicy. Drain the raisins and dry before putting it to use.
- Mandolin gives precise and super thin slices; however, you can use the knife as well. Ensure to cut the potatoes in very thin slices for even cooking and crispier base.
- Use the thick makhni gravy without adding water.
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Let me know how this recipe turned out for you by writing to me in the comments below. And if you take a picture, please tag me on my instagram handle @acookwithin 
to share your creation😊 It would make my day!
10 thoughts on “Paneer and black chickpea (kala chana) biryani pie”
I tried it yesterday. It turned out awesome. However the potatoes didn’t crisp. What can possibly the reason behind it?
Thank you for trying Neha. I am so happy to hear that it turned out well for you. About potoatoes, did you use a mandoline to slice the pototoes? and used enough butter/ghee to to coat it? For the pototoes to be crispy, these two factors are quite important. Thinner the potatoes, crispier they will be on cooking.
Will the potatoes turn brown? I added loads of butter but used knife to cut them.
The potatoes won’t turn brown but the edges will. It’s a good sign, it means that they are crisping up. A mandolin cuts it super fine which unfortunately knife doesn’t.
Recipe for makhni gravy?
Hi Neha,
I have interlinked the makhni gravy in the write up. It is highlighted and underlined.
Hi
Do i need to grease the springform tin also?
Hello Neha, yes grease the springform pan with ghee. Let me know how it turned out for you. 🙂
Hey
Trying out the recipe today but somehow my springform pan is missing. Can i put it in the oven in a glass container?
Springfoam helps with the easy removal. However oven safe glass container would work too.