Prawn Biryani

Prawns happen to be my most-favourite sea food of all times. I remember how my sister and I used to fight for prawns when we were little, so much so that we made mom split it right away in the frying pan. We live by the coast for the past few years and we have a good supply of sea-food every day. I’d never shy away from buying prawns when I spot a fresh batch. Did I tell you I buy them fresh from the boats in the morning? Yes, that’s right! It is such a feel-good experience to stand by the beach in the mornings, watch them pluck out fishes off the net and fill your bags with the fresh catch. At home, it’s usually a Jaffna style curry (vendhaya kulambu) or stir fry. I can never get tired of these authentic dishes but I never miss a chance to try new dishes. I have made this dish several times on special occasions and this is a winner. The key ingredients in this recipe are prawns, coconut oil and seeraga samba. Cooking the rice in prawns gives it a very deep flavor. Coconut oil marries well with the prawns and rice. Seeraga samba rice is the best rice for this recipe as it soaks up the flavors well.

Fresh prawns cooked in short-grained rice and spices and topped with crispy fried onions.

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Ingredients

This recipe serves 4-5 good eaters.

• Prawns – ½ kg cleaned and deveined

• Onions – 3 large – thinly sliced

• Tomatoes – 2 large

• Ginger – 2 inch

• Garlic – 2 whole pods

• Green chillies – 2

• Coriander leaves – 1 handful

• Mint leaves – 1 handful

• Cinnamon – 2 - 2 inches

• Bay leaves – 2

• Cloves – 6

• Cardamom – 6

• Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

• Turmeric – 1 spoon

• Chilli powder – 1 spoon

• Coriander powder– 2 spoon

• Coconut milk – 1 cup

• Garam masala – 1 spoon

• Seeraga samba – 2 cups

• Ghee – 3 tbsps

• Salt – as required

• Coconut Oil – ½ cup

• Lemon – 1

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Method

1. In a separate bowl marinate prawns with salt, ½ tsp turmeric powder, and little green paste (instructions below)

2. Wash and soak rice for half an hour.

3. Green paste - In a small mixer, grind garlic, ginger, coriander & mint leaves and green chilies into a fine paste.

4. Bring 3 cups of water to boil. Add salt, 2 bay leaves, 3 cloves, 3 cardamom, 1 cinnamon stick and rice and let it cook in low heat till the water is completely absorbed. The rice will be par cooked. Fluff it up a bit and leave aside.

5. In a heavy bottom pan, add coconut oil and add thinly sliced onions (half the amount) and fry till golden brown. Remove from pan and drain.

6. To the same oil add the rest of the whole spices and onions. Cook till slightly brown. Add green paste and cook well till the oil separates.

7. Add chopped tomatoes and salt and cook well. Add the spice powders and fry for a minute. Add marinated prawns and stir well. Add curry leaves.

8. Add coconut milk and one cup of water. Bring to a slow simmer.

9. Slowly add the par-cooked rice and spread across the pan equally. Drizzle ghee, lemon juice and fried onions.

10. Close with a lid and place a water pot or cast iron dosa pan for extra weight and leave on low-heat for 10 mins. Remove from heat and mix gently to mix the rice and masala.

11. Serve hot with raitha of your choice.

*Notes

• Use thick coconut milk. If using thin milk reduce adjust water content accordingly.

• It’s a juicy biryani and so I prefer molding it in a round bowl and transferring to serving plates.

• Though seeraga samba is preferred, you can alternately use basmathi. For basmathi par cook the rice in the ration 1:1 (water:rice) and proceed the rest of the recipe with the same measurements.

• If you have an OTG oven, you can also layer layer the masala and rice, cover with a lid or aluminum foil and bake it at 180 degree celcius for 10 minutes.