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Thursday, May 15, 2014

Prawn Biryani

My blog crossed 500 posts last week. This post was suppose to celebrate the special milestone and the 300+ Likes that my page has received on Fb. But it had to be postponed as I was quite busy in the first half and then feeling a bit low in the latter part of week. Now it seems like it was destined to mark an even bigger occasion.

Its the day of the election results and my TV has been switched 'On' since 7 a.m.. Have been following things closely ever since the counting started. And finally, it is time to pop the bubbly and burst the crackers. Yes, this one is to new beginnings. 'Ab ki Baar, Modi Sarkar. Baar Baar Modi Sarkar'.






Preparation Time - 40-45 mins

Ingredients -

  • 2 cups basmati rice
  • 200 gm small prawns
  • 1 large + 1 medium sized onion
  • 2 tsp GG paste
  • 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp garam masala
  • 2 large tomatoes (freshly pureed)
  • 1/3 cup chopped mint leaves
  • 1/3 cup chopped coriander leaves
  • a few strands of mace
  • a pinch of nutmeg powder
  • 3-4 cloves
  • 2 inch cinnamon stick
  • 4 green cardamon
  • 1 tsp ghee
  • 4 tsp oil
  • salt to taste
  • Lemon juice (optional) (As I used country tomatoes which were quite tangy, I skipped the lemon juice)

Preparation - Chop the onion into thin long slices.

Wash and soak the rice for 1-2 hours.

Wash and clean the prawns. Add salt and about 2-3 pinch of turmeric. Mix together and keep aside for 10 mins.

Cooking - Heat 1 1/2 tsp of oil in a frying pan. Add the marinated prawns and fry till they turn pink. Remove and keep aside.

Heat 2 1/2 tsp oil in a wok. Add the onions and fry till light brown.

Add the GG paste and fry till raw smell goes away. Add the tomato puree and fry till oil starts to separate out.

Add turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala. Fry for 1 minute.

Add the fried prawns. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add the soaked rice along with the chopped mint and coriander leaves. Fry till the leaves wilt up a bit. Add 2 1/2 cups warm water. Add salt to taste. Finally drop in the whole spices, nutmeg powder and ghee.

Cook on a medium low flame for 1 whistle (approx 12-14 mins). Remove and keep aside for 15-20 mins. Open the lid and fluff the rice grains with a fork. Sprinkle some lemon juice if you need more tang to it.

Serve hot with some cooling onion raita. (Do top it up with some desserts if you are feeling extra celebratory)








Note - While using tiger prawns or any large sized prawns for that matter in this biryani makes for a great presentation, these tiny freshwater prawns are much more flavorful. However, you can use the former if you wish.

6 comments:

  1. Gosh that looks so tempting! I was in fact searching for prawn briyani recipe for a get-together...thanks for sharing this fabulous dish dear :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Congratulations on posting 500 recipes. That is remarkable achievement indeed

    ReplyDelete
  3. I do love eating prawns but I actually unaware of the way to cook them, hopefully will be able to prepare this dish now :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cleaning prawns are the tough part...so do get them cleaned from the vendor itself and then wash then at home with lots of fresh water !!! Cooking is quite easy an they taste great even when stir fried with little salt ,turmeric and green chillis....

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