Prawn Biryani Recipe

Описание: This prawn biryani is simple to make and spicy yet complex in taste. A must for lovers of seafood!

Ingredients

500 g (1 lb) peeled, raw prawns
500 g (1 lb) Basmati rice
3 tomatoes, chopped
3 large onions cut into thin slices
3 tbsp vegetable oil or ghee

For the Marinade

250 ml (8 fl oz) plain yoghurt
2 tbsp garlic & ginger paste
Juice of 1 lemon
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp salt

For the Spice Paste

½ cup chopped coriander
½ cup mint leaves
2 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp poppy seeds
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground fennel
10 black peppercorns
2 dried red chillis
2 green chillis, chopped
Seeds from 5 green cardamom pods


Instructions

Mix together the marinade ingredients and the prawns. Leave to marinate in the ‘fridge for about an hour.
Grind or process together the ingredients for the spice paste.
Heat 2 tbsp of the oil over a medium heat in a pan and stir-fry the onions gently for about 15 minutes to caramelise them.
Meanwhile soak the rice in a large amount of cold water for 20 minutes, then drain.
Remove about two-thirds of the onions from the pan and set to one side. Turn up the heat and continue to stir-fry the remaining onions to crisp them up. Remove from pan and put to one side.
Heat the remaining tbsp of oil in a pan and add the “two-thirds” of onions and the tomatoes. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes disintegrate.
Meanwhiile we need to part-cook the rice. Put the drained rice in a large pan with plenty of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes, then drain.
Once the tomatoes have become mushy add in the spice paste and continue to stir-fry for 3-4 minutes.
Add in the prawns and the marinade. Continue to cook over a medium heat until the prawns turn pink, then turn off the heat.
In a large, clean pan put a layer of the part-cooked rice. Add the prawn mixture then finish off with the remaining rice. Cover and place over a very low heat for 5-10 minutes.
Mix the biryani lightly then place in a serving bowl. Garnish with the “one-third” onions and some chopped coriander.

Titli's Tips
The trick with this is to get the rice and the prawn mixture ready at about the same time so that they are still hot when you construct the biryani.

For a successful biryani it is important to undercook the rice before adding the sauce. During the last stage of cooking the rice will absorb enough moisture to become cooked. The rice hardly sticks together at all in a good biryani. If your rice is cooked too much your biryani will be stodgy.

Serve with a nice raita and for a wonderful taste experience.