Cook your rice with salt and whole spices Then drain the water and discard the whole spices. Keep it aside.

Cook the dal with water, salt, and turmeric until soft but thick. This can be done in a pressure cooker, Instant Pot, or on the stovetop. Keep it aside.

Mix all the marinade ingredients and coat the paneer well. Keep it for 15 mins.

Then saute the paneer on medium flame with mustard oil and sesame seeds until lightly done.

Grid cashews, poppy seeds with water into a fine paste.

In a pan on medium heat, add in your mustard oil or ghee until it just begins to smoke lightly. Add in your whole spices - cumin seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon, black cardamom, cloves and hing.

Once the‬ ‭cumin starts crackling, add in your onions with ginger-garlic-green chili paste, and saute until they turn translucent.‬

Then add crushed tomatoes, cashew-poppy paste, and all the spices. Cook covered, adding a little water if needed, until the gravy comes together and the oil begins to separate.

Add peas and carrots along with the masala paneer. Mix gently, sprinkle in garam masala, and add 1 tablespoon sour cream or cream. Let everything come together, then turn off the heat. The sabzi is ready.

Wash and wipe the banana leaf clean. Cut into 6 square pieces. Warm each piece over an open flame or pan until soft and pliable.

Place a banana leaf on a flat surface and add the following layers - sabzi, rice, thick dal, more sabzi and more rice. Finish with 1 to 2 pieces of paneer and top it off with a slice of green chili.

Fold and secure with a toothpick or kitchen thread. Repeat to make 6 parcels.

Heat a pan with mustard oil and water.

Place the parcels, cover, and warm gently on medium heat for 5 minutes on each side, until heated through and aromatic.

Open the parcels just before serving and drizzle some ghee.

Serve them hot, best paired with kadhi for a comforting winter meal.