Prawn Biriyani

We all know that "BIRIYANI" is a gastronomical delight and is the most relished rice variety of India. Biriyani, is usually cooked with a choice of meat, vegetables or seafood where the rice is flavoured with a blend of aromatic Indian spices and is accompanied with a yoghurt relish or the Indian popular salad called the "Raitha".

The recipe of a seafood/Prawn Biriyani is slightly different from the other usual meat or vegetable Biriyani. I have tried many ways of making a Biriyani but this one just stands alone from the rest.So if you are in a mood to try out a delicious mouth watering Biriyani this season, try this one for sure. Trust me, you will love it!! :)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups basmati rice (or long grained rice, washed)
• 500 gm small prawns (shells peeled, cleaned, deveined)
• 1 medium potato (cubed, optional)
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• 1 big tomato (chopped)
• 1 & 1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 8 cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 cardamoms
• 10 black peppercorns
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 2 tbsp oil

Dry Spices:

• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp cumin powder
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 2 tsp garam masala

Wet Paste:

• 1/2 cup coriander leaves
• 1/2 cup mint leaves
• 2 green chillies
• 2 tbsp poppy seeds (khus khus)

Garnishing:

• 1 cup fried onions
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves
• 2 tbsp milk
• a pinch of saffron

Method:

1. Boil water, filled more than half in a saucepan and add little salt to it.Add the washed rice along with 1 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 1 bay leaf and 2 cardamoms to the boiling water and cook exactly for 8 min. The rice will be half cooked at this stage. Strain the rice and spread it on a large flat plate so that the rice won't stick together. Keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a large, heavy bottomed vessel and put the remaining bay leaf, cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon stick in it. Now put in the chopped onions and stir for a minute. Now add the ginger-garlic paste and stir again till the raw smell goes.
3. Add in the chopped tomatoes and stir for 3-4 min on low flame. Now add all the dry spices, peppercorns and mix well. Add salt to taste. Add the potatoes at this point and cover the vessel with a lid and let the potatoes cook on a medium heat for 5-6 min. You can add 2 tbsp of water to help the potatoes to cook fast.
4. When the potatoes are half cooked, add the prawns to it and cook for 2 min. Then add the wet mint-coriander paste to the gravy and saute everything for 3 more minutes.
5. Finally pour the coconut milk into the gravy and let everything cook in low heat until the gravy is in the process of thickening.
6. Take out 2 tbsp of the coconut milk gravy from the vessel and keep aside. Keeping the heat low, add in the half cooked rice over the gravy and close it with a tight lid. The bottom layer of the vessel will have the thickened prawn gravy and the top layer will have the rice.Let the rice cook fully cook in its steam for 6-7 minutes. Do not stir the rice and gravy at this stage. A non stick vessel will help u avoid the gravy sticking to the bottom.
7. While the rice and the gravy is cooking, warm the milk in a microwave and put the saffron in it. Open the lid of the vessel and pour the saffron milk, over the rice.
8. Now sprinkle some fried onions over the rice. With a tea spoon, gently spread the reserved gravy over the rice. Switch off the gas.
9. When you are ready for your meal, gently mix the rice with the gravy without spoiling the rice. Each rice should be seen separately. Your Prawn Biriyani is now ready to serve hot with a classic Indian Raitha.

PS:- One can use jumbo tiger prawns in their biriyani instead of small ones. I use the small ones because, they once mixed in rice, you get at least 2 prawns every mouthful. :)

- Cooking the "rice" is the most crucial part in making any biriyani. Always, put the rice in boiling water and strain it as soon as u feel its 50% cooked (approx 8-10 min). You will feel like keeping the rice for little more while but DON'T DO IT. If you keep a little more longer, the rice will be sticky and it will no longer look like a biriyani.

- You can use biriyani masala instead of the dry spices.

- Garnishing is up to you. I usually avoid dry fruits in a prawn biriyani, unlike vegetable or chicken biriyani.