For the rice:
1/4 cup ghee
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (1cm) piece ginger
8 cloves
2 bay leaves
8 cardamoms
6 cloves of garlic
2 pieces cinnamon
2 cups basmathi rice
4 cups water
2 1/2 tsps salt
For koftas:
1/4 cup gram flour
1 1/2 cup grated paneer
1 tsp grated ginger
2 green chilies, finely chopped
20 raisins
Salt to taste
Oil for deep-frying

Paneer Kofta Biryani

1. For rice, grind onion, ginger and garlic to a paste. Heat ghee and add the ground paste to it. Fry till it turns light brown.
2. Add the spices. Fry for a minute and then add the rice, water and salt. Cover and cook till the rice is tender.
3. For koftas, roast gram flour to a golden brown. Knead together paneer, gram flour, ginger and green chilies to a smooth dough. Make 20 equal sized koftas, putting a raisin in the centre of each. Deep fry till dark brown.
4. To serve, fluff the rice with fork and remove whole pieces. Add koftas and toss gently. Garnish with mint leaves and carrot pieces.
   Serves: 4
   Preparation time: 45 minutes