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A couple of posts ago I had mentioned that I would soon reveal my resolution for this year. To be honest, I don’t believe in making resolutions that I am sure to break at some point. However, I have made a list of things that I wish to tackle this year. The first on the list is tackling procrastination and I genuinely hope I don’t procrastinate doing this 🙂 Apart from this are a host of things I want to do to make my blogging experience easy and faster so that I can post many more recipes than I am doing currently. I am also going to make a serious effort to stay on top of my emails, personal or blog related. Mobile phones are really the bane of our existence, or so I feel as I tend to read emails on the phone and procrastinate replying to a time when I am comfortably seated at my desk browsing the internet from my laptop. I hate typing lengthy emails from my phone, I tell myself and I will get to replying to emails from my computer, I promise. However, this never really happens as I hardly get any quality time at the computer these days. With a little one ever so active and demanding, my ‘me time’ is shrinking by the minute. So I am making a solemn promise to all of you who have sent me emails and not received responses – I will reply to you positively! Thank you and sorry!
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For a longest time I have postponed making anything that has prawns in it as I am allergic to them, however in the past few months I have attempted to eat stuff that has prawns in it buy just removing the prawns and thankfully it hasn’t affected me. Looks like my body is slowly beginning to accept one of the pearls of the ocean. This prawn biryani has been on my list for so long, especially because one special reader turned friend asked me for the recipe and we decided to create our own recipe. So using the Chicken Ghee Roast recipe we created this biryani which was absolutely lipsmacking! While the husband prepared the prawns, I made the rice and assembled the biryani and I could enjoy it this time minus the prawns (actually I ate like half a prawn)
Since biryanis hardly get a chance to be assembled before everyone lines up in the kitchen holding their plates waiting to get served, this biryani never really got a chance to shine in front of the camera. All I could manage were a few shots before everyone angrily asked me to wind up the ‘drama’ and get the bowl to the dining table where it was devoured hungrily in a matter of minutes.
The prawn biryani is a little more rich and elaborate with the layering and all while the prawn pulao is meant to be simpler in taste and effort. Hopefully in the coming few months I will try my hand at making a simple prawn pulao too so do stay tuned!
Write to me at ruchikrandhap@gmail.com for any queries!
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Ingredients
For the prawns
- 1 kg prawns de veined and cleaned
- 3 onions finely chopped
- 3-4 tablespoons ghee
- 7-8 curry leaves optional
For the marinade:
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 cup thick yogurt
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- salt to taste
For the masala:
- 5 Kashmiri chillies * see notes
- 4 Bedgi chillies de seeded if you wish * see notes
- 8-10 peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek *see notes
- 12 garlic flakes with skin
- 1/2 tsp tamarind paste or 1 marble size tamarind soaked in 2 tbsp water
- 1/2 cup loosely packed coriander leaves
- 1/2 cup loosely packed mint leaves
For the rice:
- 4 cups basmati rice washed and soaked for 20 mins
- 8 cups water or chicken stock * see notes
- 2 tablespoons ghee or oil
- 1 medium sized onion finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons of ginger & garlic paste
- 3-4 cloves
- 1 inch piece of cinnamon or cassia bark
- 2-3 cardamoms
- 2 small bay leaves
- juice of 1/2 a lime
- salt to taste adjust it if you are using chicken stock or stock cubes which already contain salt
For the garnishing (optional):
- 1 medium sized onion finely sliced and fried till golden brown
- raisins and cashew nuts if desired lightly fried in ghee till golden
- 1/2 cup chopped coriander and mint
Instructions
Prepare the prawns:
- Marinate the cleaned prawns with the ingredients mentioned under ‘For the marinade’ and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Heat a tawa or non stick pan & dry roast the chillies, peppercorns, fenugreek, coriander & cumin seeds. Take care to see that the chillies don’t burn otherwise they will let out a bitter taste. Using a little water grind all these ingredients along with the garlic, tamarind coriander and mint leaves to a fine paste. Retain the masala water from the mixie.
- Heat the ghee in a wide thick bottomed pan and fry the onions till golden. Next, add the ground masala and fry it on a medium heat till the oil separates (the masala should be fried really well)
- Add the marinated prawns and cook until done. Sprinkle a little water to reduce the thickness of the gravy as we need a little extra gravy while layering the rice. Let the gravy not be too watery/thin and not too thick either.
- Remove from heat when done.
Prepare the rice:
- Drain the washed and soaked rice over a fine slotted colander.
- In a large pan (big enough to accommodate the rice when it doubles in volume) heat the ghee and fry the cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaves on a medium heat.
- Add the chopped onions and fry them till they turn translucent. Add the ginger and garlic paste and stir for a few seconds.
- Add the drained rice and fry it until it begins to feel heavy – if you continue to fry beyond this point the grains will begin to break. While the rice is frying bring the water or stock to a boil – you can use plain water flavoured by stock cubes (bouillon cubes) or chicken stock or a combination of stock and water to make the rice more flavourful.
- Add the chopped coriander stalks, salt (if required) and lime juice. Adjust taste as required. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and then reduce the heat to a sim, cover the pan tightly (to prevent steam from escaping you can cover the mouth of the pan with aluminium foil and then place a well fitting lid over it). Let the rice cook on this heat for exactly 5 mins. Don’t forget to keep the timer!
- After 5 mins are up turn off the heat and let the rice cook for another 15 mins (remember to turn off the heat!) – don’t open the pan till 15 mins are up.
- After 15 mins, open the pan gently and quickly fluff up the rice using a fork and cover the pan again for half a minute. Your rice is ready
Assemble the biryani
- Take a large pan and layer it first with 1/3rd the amount of rice. The next layer should be 1/3rd of the prawns. Continue the layering till all the rice and prawns are finished. Make sure that you divide not just the prawns but also its gravy equally for all the layers. Spread out the gravy evenly over the rice so that when you serve the biryani it is evenly coated (no dry or soggy rice in some areas)
- After each layer is completed you can sprinkle the fried onions, raisins and cashew nuts and the chopped coriander and mint. Make sure that you reserve a little of each to be garnished on the top most layer
- To serve, dig right in and pull out the biryani with all the layers. Serve hot with raitha of your choice
Disclaimer
The nutritional values are only indicative.
Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment & rate the recipe below or share a photo on Instagram and tag me @ruchikrandhap
You are a genius – lovely recipe – finger licking, came out perfect. I will cook this again and again
@ Vanita: Thanks so much for your feedback! So glad to hear that you liked this recipe!
Where are the notes
Shireen, this recipe is awesome and has now been permanently recorded in my recipe box.
@ Unknown: So glad to note that you enjoyed this recipe so much!! 🙂
I tried this recipe today and it came out very well. Thank you.
@ Live n Learn: Thanks so much for your feedback!!
Thank you so much for this recipe. We loved it!!! Will definitely make it again.
So glad to hear that! Thanks for the feedback!