Prawn Biryani | Shrimp Biryani | Video

Prawn biryani (shrimp biryani). Flavorful prawns aren’t the only ingredients that make this biryani incredibly delicious! Aromatic spices and the classic ‘dum’ cooking do their part, too. Pair this biryani with a simple onion yogurt salad, pappadums and your favorite pickle, and you’re set for a scrumptious feast.

Want to make a delectable biryani with seafood at home but don’t have the right recipe? Well, I’ll tell you the tips and tricks to create the most delicious biryani. And in this case, lip-smacking prawn biryani.

First step – cook rice

Always use premium quality basmati rice to make biryani. Cooking rice is super simple. Simply sauté a bay leaf and cinnamon stick in a little oil, stir fry rice to toast it lightly and add plenty of water. You’ll also need to add in a little lemon juice. And don’t forget to season. Let the rice cook to perfection absorbing all the goodness of the spices and lemon juice. Once rice is tender, drain water completely. Make sure there’s little water in the rice. And again, don’t wait until the rice absorbs all the water and turn mushy.

Second- fry prawns

While the rice is cooking on the stove top, you can marinate the prawns in a little ground turmeric, garam masala, red chili powder and ground fennel seeds. The marinated prawns go straight into a heated pan with ghee. Fry until they are browned and cooked through.

Third – Make delectable sauce for prawns

A simple mix of mild spices, onions and tomatoes make this sauce lip-smacking good. To make the sauce, start with browning some onions in heated ghee. Throw in fresh ginger and garlic. A quick stir fry and add the powdered spices. Tomatoes are also cooked in the sauce until they turn really mushy. Finally, throw in the cooked prawns.

Fourth – Layering

All the different elements of the prawn biryani are layered in a large heavy bottomed pan. You’ll also need a few other ingredients that’ll add immense flavor to this biryani including saffron milk, toasted raisins and cashew nuts, fried onions, and ghee. Start layering with half of prawn sauce, half of rice, and some fried onions, raisins and cashew nuts. Continue layering with the remaining elements. I like to poke a few holes in the rice and pour in the beautiful yellow saffron milk.

Fifth and final step – ‘Dum’ prawn biryani

To do this, cover the pan with aluminium foil and a tight fitting lid. Place this over a low flame for about 10 minutes. You can also ‘dum’ biryani in the oven. This classic technique brings out the flavor from the individual elements in the biryani and makes it incredibly delicious.

And there you go. The perfect biryani loaded with crispy flavorful prawns. Yum!

More prawn recipes:

• Kerala Prawns Fry
• Prawn Mango Curry | Chemmeen Manga Curry
• Kerala Prawn Roast ( Chemmen Roast)

Yield: 4

Prawn Biryani | Shrimp Biryani | Video

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Perfect for a dinner party, this prawn biryani is loaded with mouthwatering flavors of delicious prawns and aromatic spices

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

Rice:

• 2 cups basmati rice
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons salt

Marinate and fry prawns (shrimp):

• 1 kg prawns, peeled and deveined
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric (turmeric powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seeds (fennel powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ghee or oil
• Salt to taste
• Prawn masala:
• 1 tablespoon ghee or oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 2” cinnamon stick
• 2 star anise
• 6 cloves
• 3 cardamom pods
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1” fresh ginger, chopped
• 2 green chilies, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric (turmeric powder)
• 1 teaspoon black cumin seeds, ground to a fine powder
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup yogurt
• 2 tablespoons coriander (cilantro) leaves
• 2 tablespoons mint leaves
• Salt to taste

Saffron milk:

• A pinch of saffron threads
• 1/4 cup warm milk

Fried onions:

• 2 cups thinly sliced onions
• 1/4 cup oil

For layering:

• 20 cashew nuts, fried in ghee
• 2 tablespoons raisins, fried in ghee
• 1/4 cup chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
• 2 tablespoons ghee

Instructions

Cook rice:

Rice rice under cool, running water until the water runs clear. Set aside.Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan, and add bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Sauté, stirring, for a minute. Add rice. Stir fry for about 2 minutes. Pour in 8-10 cups of water. Add lemon juice and salt. Bring to the boil. Cook, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until tender. (Don’t forget to check the package instructions for the cooking time). Drain off excess water. Cover and set aside.

Marinate and fry prawns:

Place prawns in a medium bowl. Add paprika, ground turmeric, ground fennel seeds, garam masala and red chili powder. Toss to coat prawns in the spices. Season with salt. Cover, and let marinate for 39 minutes in the refrigerator.Heat ghee in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add prawns. Toss and cook for about 4-5 minutes or until the prawns are cooked through. Remove from pan. Drain on an absorbent towel. Set aside.

Make prawn masala:

To the same pan, add ghee or oil. Add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves and cardamom pods. Sauté, stirring, for about a minute. Add garlic, ginger and green chilies. Sauté, stirring, for about 2 minutes or until fragrant.Add ground turmeric, cumin powder, red chili powder and garam masala. Sauté, stirring, for a minute or until aromatic. Add tomatoes. Sauté, stirring, for about 3-4 minutes or until mushy. Add yogurt, coriander leaves and mint leaves. Season with salt. Simmer for another 2 minutes. Add fried prawns. Stir to combine. Heat through.

Saffron milk:

Place warm milk in a small bowl. Add saffron threads. Stir to combine. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Fried onions:

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onions. Fry onions in batches, stirring as needed, for about 3-4 minutes or until evenly browned.

Layering:

Cover the base of a large heavy bottomed pan with half of prawn masala. Spread half of rice on top. Add 1 tablespoon ghee. Sprinkle with half of cashew nuts, raisins, coriander (cilantro) and mint leaves. Top with remaining prawn masala and rice. With the long end of a wooden spoon, poke a few holes in the rice. Pour in saffron milk. Add 1 tablespoon ghee. Sprinkle with remaining cashew nuts, raisins, coriander (cilantro) and mint leaves.

Dum biryani:

Cover the pan with aluminium foil. Place a tight fitting lid on top. Place pan on stove top over low heat and dum for 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can dum biryani in the oven at 150C for 30 minutes.Garnish with more cashew nuts, raisins, coriander (cilantro) leaves and mint leaves if you like.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 971Total Fat 54gSaturated Fat 16gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 34gCholesterol 581mgSodium 3844mgCarbohydrates 59gFiber 7gSugar 14gProtein 66g

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