Wash the rice till the water runs clear, and soak it for about 30 minutes.

Place 6 cups of water to boil in a big pot and add a bay leaf, 3-4 green cardamom, 1 black cardamom, 3-4 cloves, 1 stick cinnamon, and 3-4 peppercorns.

After the water comes to a rolling boil, add rice and salt.

Let the rice boil on full flame till 80% cooked.

Remove from the fire and using a sieve drain all the water.

Pour cold water over the rice, this shall stop the rice from cooking further.

Let the rice stand in the sieve, so that all the extra water is drained out. Once the water has drained, spread the rice in a tray to dry.

Drizzle a tablespoon of oil.

Our rice is ready to be used for biryani.

Boil the vegetables or alternatively steam cooks them with salt. Make sure not to overcook them.

Keep aside. They should be firm to bite.

Heat a pan and add 1 tablespoon each of ghee and oil. Add the whole spices and saute till the aroma of these spices is released.

Add a sliced onion and saute it till translucent.

Now add garlic, ginger, and chilly paste and saute for a minute.

Next, add the steamed veggies and cubed paneer. Season lightly with salt and half the coriander leaves. Add the red chilly powder and gram masala. Toss well so the veggies are well coated with the masala.

Add the whipped curd to this masala and gently mix in. Cook for a minute or two, then switch off the flame. Check for salt and spice level.

Warm the milk and add the saffron to it. Let it soak, and then rub the strands.

Grease a thick bottom pan with a tablespoon of oil. Now divide the rice into three parts and the vegetable mix into two parts.

Add one part of the rice to the greased pan. Sprinkle 1/3 of the mint leaves and 1/3 of the barista. Drizzle a few drops of rose water. Now add one part of the vegetable mix. This is our first layer.

We will repeat the procedure till the rice and vegetables are finished. So we have two layers of vegetables and three of rice.

Once I make the third rice layer, I poke the rice at different spots and pour ghee and sprinkle the saffron milk.

Now sprinkle birista, and cover the rice. Place it on very slow flame over a griddle. Let cook for 10-15 minutes for the flavors to infuse.

Garnish with cashews, lemon slices, mint leaves, coriander leaves, and dried rose buds. Serve hot with a side of Boondi Raita.