Heat ghee in the Instant Pot and when it's hot, put in all the tempering spices. Once they start to sizzle, put in the thinly sliced onion and cook until the onions well-browned and crisp at the edges.
Add in the ginger, garlic, jalapeños, and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add salt to taste and mix well.
If you're using ready-made garam masala instead of whole spices, add it now and mix well.
Spread the rinsed, drained rice across everything.
Pour in the water, and gently push the rice so that it is covered by the water. This step is important. If any of the rice pokes up above the water, it is likely to stay a little crunchy.
Add in paneer and the frozen vegetables. Spread out the paneer and veggie mixture.
Sprinkle the chopped cilantro and mint on top it.
Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. Then, let the pot rest undisturbed for 10 minutes and then release all remaining pressure.
Open and inhale deeply! Enjoy the true-to-tradition aroma of this dish and then mix it gently from the bottom.
I know most of you will want to add more water to this recipe--don't do that. The rice was al dente, each grain was separate as you see in the picture, and it all just worked.
Use long-grain basmati for this recipe and be sure to rinse and drain well.
Don't use starchy vegetables like potatoes, that will absorb water. I used a package of frozen mixed vegetables for this.
You could add a little frozen cauliflower, or frozen broccoli to this recipe.
This rice freezes very well, and also tastes great as leftovers.
Some of you will ask if you can make this with Tofu. I haven't tried that, but I'd recommend that you use extra firm tofu, that you drain it first, and potentially also pan fry it to make it less likely to disintegrate. If you do this, leave me a comment to let me know how it went!
I have also used frozen paneer which I got from the Indian grocery store, although I would HIGHLY recommend that you use my Instant Pot Paneer Recipe to make your own! It's so much tastier and creamier, and it takes no time at all. But if you're pressed for time, just use the storebought version.