Paneer Tikka Pulao Recipe Paneer Pulao

The word ‘Achaari’

If you are familiar with Indian cuisine – then you must have come across the word achaari often used as a prefix for certain dishes. The Indian pickles in Hindi are called ‘achaar‘. And the spice mix used in making the pickles is known as achaar masala. The word ‘achaari’ describes any dish with the taste/flavor or aroma of a pickling spice mix. This special achari paneer pulao has the flavor and aroma of an Indian pickle, making it truly tantalizing.

The Story of Tikka Pulao

Achari Paneer Tikka Pulao is one of the simplest pulao recipes. It has the underlying flavor of pickle and the tandoori paneer tikka. Oh my god, this paneer pulao is just so delicious that you can finish the entire casserole in one go with a bowl of chilled pomegranate raita. Last week, we hosted a few friends for a get-together. After dinner, we were left with marinated paneer and vegetables in the tikka masala. The next day, I quickly tossed the marinated vegetables and paneer with the rice. A delicious one-pot meal was ready in less than 30 minutes. Isn’t that amazing? The rice absorbed all the flavor of marinated vegetables and turned finger-licking good more like paneer biryani. I packed it for the husband’s lunchbox as well and he too loved it.

Recipe Variation

Vegan: To make a vegan pulao you can use tofu instead of paneer along with vegetables. Or use soya chunks. Skip using ghee for cooking. Vegetables: From colorful bell peppers, potatoes, and green peas, to zucchini, you can add any vegetable of your choice to this paneer pulao. Rice: I always use long grain basmati rice to make paneer pulao. But you can use brown rice or any other local variety of rice available. Brown Rice makes paneer pulao a more wholesome combination of protein, fiber, and whole grains. The best part about this pulao recipe is – you can use leftover cooked rice as well to make it.

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Serving Suggestion

The paneer tikka pulao tastes best with a chilled, refreshing green boondi raita, kachumber salad, papadum, sliced onion, and a dollop of ghee on top. If you are not too keen on serving raita with pulao it tastes good with plain curd or masala curd as well. You can store the leftover pulao in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 – 5 days. It reheats well in a microwave. Hence, it is one of my favorite dishes for office lunch boxes, or potlucks.