Malabar Cuisine Prawns Biryani

After I prepared this Thalassery Chicken Biryani, we went to pick up food for Ragee in the frozen section where I saw some jumbo prawns pack. I immediately asked F if he would want to have them and he nodded OK. This is my first time with frozen seafood and I am sure it is a breeze - as it's all cleaned and ready to cook! 😀 I prepared this Malabar prawns biryani the very next week and I am one happy wife to see him rejoice and relish! Alhamdulillah, I was able to rekindle his love for Prawns. Me happy. My mom will also be happy.

Malabar Prawns Biryani

Yields: 2 to 3 hungry tummy

INGREDIENTS

For prawns masala:
400 gm extra-large Prawns. (19 nos. I used frozen, Al Kabeer)

To marinate the prawns:
2 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Enough oil to shallow fry the marinated prawns in a flat pan. ~⅓ cup

For the gravy:
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 to 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
12 cloves of garlic, grated (approx, 2 tablespoons)
5 green chillies, chopped fine
3" piece ginger, grated ( approx. 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon pepper powder
1 tablespoon lime juice
¼ cup chopped coriander leaves
2 teaspoon dry basil leaves (you can use a fistful  of fresh mint leaves)
Salt to taste (1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon garam masala.

For the Ghee rice:
2 cups Jeerakasala rice (short grain rice), washed and drained (soak if required)
3 cups boiling water
Salt to taste
2 tablespoon ghee
3 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion sliced
1 bay leaf
3 cardamom
5 cloves
1” cinnamon stick
½ tablespoon cumin seeds
½ tablespoon lime/lemon juice
½ teaspoon extra garam masala to sprinkle while layering rice

METHOD

Prawns masala:

1. Wash the prawns, drain and marinate them in Kashmiri chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt for half an hour
2. Heat oil in a large non-stick saucepan and shallow fry the prawns briefly, stirring frequently for 3-4 minutes. Fish them out and keep aside covered.
3. In the same oil add the chopped onion, ginger, garlic and green chillies along with salt and cook until the onions have become soft for about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes and pepper powder. Cover and cook until the tomatoes become soft and you get a thick gravy.
5. Add the almost-fried prawns and cook on low flame for about 20 minutes so that the flavour of the prawn diffuses in the gravy and the gravy becomes thick.
6. Towards the end, add the chopped mint leaves, coriander leaves, garam masala and lime juice. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes and then remove from the fire and keep them aside.

Ghee Rice:

1. Boil enough water in the kettle
2. Heat ghee in a deep pot or pan that has a tight lid
3. Add onions and all the whole spices like cardamom, cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon and cumin seeds and sauté for a minute until fragrant.
4. Add the required amount of boiling water and salt
5. Tip in the rice slowly and cook on high heat by keeping the lid open until there is no water on the surface and you see only rice. Then reduce the flame to the lowest and close the lid tightly and let it cook for around 5 to 8 minutes. Now, you have to stir and bring the bottom part of the rice to the top so that the rice gets cooked evenly. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes and then switch off and open only after 5 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, prepare your Dum cooking pot ready. Have a deep, thick-bottomed pot that has a tight-fitting lid ready by greasing the bottom with ghee.
7. Once the rice is completely cooked, open and fluff it using a fork carefully and do the assembling for dum cooking while hot

NOTE: Prepare the ghee rice as per your own tried and tested method of making rice. If you notice, I have used less water to cook the rice. This is because the masala is already moisture-rich which will help the rice to cook completely during the dum cooking.

Layer and Dum cooking:

1. Line the counter like this - Prepared rice pot - Dum cooking pot (greased with ghee) - masala pot - garam masala/fried onions/cashews and raisins
2. Layering should start and end with rice, topped with garnish items.
3. Layer the bottom of the Dum cooking pot with enough rice. Sprinkle a good pinch of garam masala and spread some Prawns masala all over the rice. Repeat this till the Prawns masala is over and end with a layer of rice.
4. Cover the entire pot with foil and close with a heavy lid tightly.
5. Keep a comal or a thick flat lid or a flat pan on the flame and then keep the biryani pot over this.
6. Dum cook the prawns biryani on the lowest flame for 30 minutes
7. Before serving garnish with fried onions, cashews and raisins that are fried in ghee.
8. Serve with any yoghurt dip, pickled onions, coconut mint chammanthi, pickle and pappadams!