Place the rice in a medium bowl, add water and swish the rice with your hands and drain. Repeat this 2 or 3 more times until the water almost runs clear. Place the rice into a pot and top with vegetable stock or water (if using water, add a few pinches of salt). Place on medium high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook until the rice is just tender and the water has been absorbed, 10-12 minutes.
Place the sliced leeks into a colander and rinse well with water, squeezing and agitating them with your hands to loosen any dirt. Drain.
In a small bowl, make the spice mix by combining the garam masala, garlic or onion powder (if using), cumin, coriander and fennel.
Heat a large wide Dutch oven or pot on medium high heat. Add the ghee (or butter/olive oil) along with the leeks and cook, stirring often, until the leeks are soft, starting to caramelize and sticking to the pan, about 10 to 14 minutes. Add the fennel, ginger, potato, serrano chili pepper, the spice mix, 1/2 cup water, season with 1 teaspoon of salt and lots of black pepper and toss well to combine. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Uncover, add the paneer and yoghurt, stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes, tossing often.
Top the vegetables and paneer with the rice, season with sea salt and black pepper, followed by the peas. Top with half of the coriander/cilantro and mint leaves. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and cook for 10 minutes, to warm the peas and allow the flavours to meld.
To serve, top with more coriander/cilantro and mint leaves, and dollop with yoghurt and achaar, if using. Serve with lemon on side.