Chef Shamsher: Deep Sea Prawn Biryani

I was craving biryani since the past three weeks. Not one, not two but three weeks. The reason why I could not have it was that I had other requests to fulfill for the blog and I wanted to make mutton biryani BUT THEN some good people suggested me to make Prawn Biryani and I was like HEY YOU SO CALLED CHEF why don't you make prawn biryani?

So I bought some prawns in this scorching heat and decided to boost my blood pressure by making this amazing spice blend to create one of the best biryanis I have ever made.

INGREDIENTS:

FOR BIRYANI MASALA:

1 tablespoon zeera

1 tablespoon fennel seed

4 cardamom

2 cinnamon sticks

1 black cardamom

1 star anise

1/2 sliced javitri

6-8 black pepper corns

FOR PRAWN MARINATION:

500 grams of prawns (peeled and devained of any size)

1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder

Juice of one lemon

FOR BOILING RICE:

whole garam masala

2 cups rice soaked in water for 30 minutes

2 bay leaves

salt to taste

mint leaves

2 tablespoon oil

FOR GRAVY:

1 chopped onion

2 tomatoes chopped

375 grams yogurt

2 tablespoon biryani masala

2 tablespoon red chili powder

1/2 teaspoon tumeric Powder

salt to taste

1 tabolespoon ginger garlic paste

FOR BIRYANI TOPPINGS:

4-5 tablespoon oil

1/4 cup mint leaves

fried onions

food color or saffron mixed in warm water or milk

Let's start with making the biryani masala.

Add the fennel seeds, cumin seeds, green and black cardamom, javitri, star anise, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper corn in a grinder.

Grind until everything becomes a fine powder.

Marinate the prawns in 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder and lemon juice.

Now it is time to boil the water for rice. Fill half of your boiling pan with water and add salt to taste, whole garam masala, 1 tablespoon of the biryani masala we made, bay leaves, oil and a handful of mint leaves.

After the water boils add the soaked rice to it and cook until 80% which means that the rice should have a bit of grainy feeling to it. If you cannot feel the rice then you cannot feel anything.

Strain the rice when cooked. Would take less than 5 minutes if the rice are of good quality.

Time for the base of biryani, the gravy.

Start with frying some chopped onion in oil.

Add ginger garlic paste and salt. Cook until onions become translucent.

Add chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chili powder, biryani masala and whipped yogurt.

NOTE - If you do not whip yogurt by adding some water in it and add it then it will form small lumps. DO NOT ADD THE YOGURT WITHOUT WHIPPING IT. WHIP IT!

Cook until the oil separates and add a little water to it.

Cut and add some green chilies if you want to spice things up.

Add the prawns with some chopped coriander, mint and some fired onions to the base gravy.

Cook them for 3-5 minutes. That's all the time they will take to release their flavor in the gravy and cook completely.

Once the gravy is cooked lower the heat. Form a layer of cooked rice onto the gravy.

Sprinkle coriander and mint leaves along with fried onions, oil and food coloring.

I add saffron mixed with warm milk instead of food coloring.

Cover the lid, cook on high heat for 5 minutes and low heat for another 5 minutes.