Paneer and pea pilaf

This was posted by my friend Debi.
Ingredients:
1 cup Basmati, pre soaked for at least 20 min
onion,chopped
-3 garlic cloves, minced
-cup peas, boiled or frozen
-2 green chillies, sliced
cup cubed paneer ( + or - depending on your taste)
1/4 cup cashews, dry roasted (in oven or skillet)
bay leaf
tsp cumin
-4 cloves whole
-3 green cardamom, slightly crushed
salt to taste
few sprigs of cilantro and mint for garnish.
Method:
-Soak rice in water for few minutes. Its not necessary but it helps the grains to separate while cooking and prevents it getting mushy.
-In a skillet, add 1 tbsp oil, spread it around the pan and fry the paneer lightly, turn when browned. Once done, drop the paneer in a bowl of cold water. I do this for 2 reasons. One the excess oil floats to the top in the water and fried paneer tends to harden a little, so dropping them in water helps them to get soft. Remove and set aside.
-Meanwhile in a skillet in 1/2 tsp oil, saute cumin, chillies, bay leaf, cardamom, cloves, onions and garlic with some salt until the onions turn soft. Add the drained rice and saute gently until the rice is translucent. Now add 2 cups of water, close the lid and cook for 10-15min.
-Once the rice is cooked, add the paneer, peas, cashews and toss together. Just before serving, add cilantro and mint, toss and serve hot.