Who does not love the exotic fragrant biryani? 😀 Just the name “biryani” will make many drool. Biryani is one of the most popular dishes in India. Biryani is one of the foods for sure that gives that comfort feeling. Shrimp biryani is extraordinary for seafood lovers and biryani lovers. Shrimp in biryani induce nice flavors to rice.
The one I have prepared is a home-style biryani. Closing the vessel with the lid when cooking and sealing the edges with wheat dough is the authentic style. Cook on high flame for 2 minutes. Then remove the vessel from the stove and place an iron tawa. Place back the biryani vessel on iron tawa and cook biryani for 20minutes.
Biryani is not strenuous at all to prepare like many believe. Its just little time consuming and it need that little extra special care when we do it. Try to use all the ingredients listed, each ingredient has a special role in the biryani and compliments one with another.
There are many different types and versions of regional biryani recipes. The style that I am cooking today is dum biryani, shrimp gets the direct heat from the flame and the rice is cooked with steam generated by the airtight method of cooking. This way the rice is cooked in the flavors of the shrimp and gets the aroma of the shrimp. I have cooked this recipe couple of times and it has never failed me.For the biryani masala ,I will post my biryani powder soon. But store bought ones are good too. I use aachi biryani powder most of the times.
It is for all the seafood spicy flavourful food lovers 🙂
My other favorite biryani recipes: Lamb Biryani, ambur biryani, chicken biryani, mushroom biryani, cauliflower biryani
- Marinate:
- Ginger garlic paste - 1 ½ tbsp (I grind fresh garlic and ginger)
- Biryani powder - 2½ tbsp
- Red chilli powder - 2 ½ tsp
- Coriander pwder - 1 tsp
- Cinnamon - 1
- Cardomon - 2
- Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
- Jeera - 1 tbsp
- Green chilli - 5 (cut them roughly)
- Mint - 1 /2 cup(chopped)
- Coriander- ½ cup minced
- Grated coconut - 3 tbsp finely grated
- Curd - 1 cup
- Oil - 3tbsp
- Prawn - 600 grams ( shrimp, peeled, raw, de-shelled & de-veined
Rice: - Basmati rice - 3 cup (soaked for twenty minutes)
- Jeera - 2 tsp
- Salt - 2 ½ tbsp. (according to taste)
Others: - Oil - ½ cup
- Onions - 2 (sliced beautifully)
- Ghee - 2 tbsp
- Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
- Salt - 1 tbsp
- Orange food colour mixed with 2tsp of water or saffron in warm water
- Lime juice
- coriander – to garnish
- Marinate everything listed under “marinate” section for at least an hour.
- Boil 8 cups of water in high heat. When it boils vigorously, add the soaked rice, jeera and salt. Cook till its 80% done. Usually I put them for 5 minutes after adding rice. That is usually 80% done.
- Meanwhile on the other side, heat a heavy bottom pan with oil. Add the onions and salt. Sauté them till they become crispy. Add the marinated shrimp to it and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Stir in between. (I am using cooked shrimp that we get on market, its hard to get raw shrimps around here. If you are cooking with raw shrimps, add the shrimp and cook for 5minutes till it is done.)
- Top the shrimp with the cooked rice, add the ghee, garam masala powder. Shrimp and rice will cook perfectly in that heat.
- Close it with tight lid, if possible Place lid and over the lid place a heavy weight (like cooker) keep it in medium for 10 minutes and switch it off.
- Top it with the food color mixture,coriander and mix after a minute. After 5 minutes, gently mix the rice and gravy. squeeze the lemon and serve.
- Biryani ready!
2.Gently mix the rice at the end, don’t break the rice.
3.Don’t compromise on the quality of the rice. Use basmathi rice and not long grained rice.
4. The red colour is not healthy. But sometimes I use it. You can add the saffron soaked in warm milk instead.
5. I am using cooked shrimp that we get on market; it’s hard to get raw shrimps around here. If you are cooking with raw shrimps, add the shrimp and cook for another 5minutes till it is done.
Serve with raita, Chicken curry or any curry, boiled eggs or chicken 65.
