Prawn / Shrimp / Chemeen Biriyani

I am a sea food fan. Prawns always tops the list. Whenever I Visit home my mom preapares prawns curry. But I was not in the mood of having a curry. I wanted to make biryani. Biriyani is used to denote a dish where the rice  is cooked separately from the (curry of meat or vegetables). The curry and the rice are then brought together and layered, resulting in a dish of the contrasting flavors of unflavored rice and intensely flavored sauce and meat or vegetables. At my home everybody prefers using chicken for biriyani, So hopes of having prawn biriyani was never materialized.  I was searching for a good recipe for a long time. I got this recipe from maria. I prefer more masala in the biriyani. Her recipe was perfect for us. You should visit her lovely space. I have followed her recipe with very few variations here and there.  While making biriyani or pulao I always avoid the garnishing layer. I don't prefer corriander leaves in my food. So my readers please feel free to add corriander leaves, fried onions, raisins and toasted cashew nuts and garnish the biriyani. You can serve this along with raita , pappad and pickle.

Recipe Source:

Slightly adapted from www.mariasmenu.com

For the rice:

Basmati rice – 3 cups
Water – 6 cups
Cardamom & clove – 3 each
Cinnamon – 1 medium size stick
Butter – 3 tbsp (Unsalted)
Salt - To Taste

For the masala :

Prawns – 1/2 kg (cleaned & deviened)
Ginger garlic paste – 2 tbsp
Chilli powder – 1/2 tbsp
Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
Onions – 3, chopped finely
Green chilli -5-6
Tomato – 2-3, chopped finely
Coconut – 1 handful
Curd – 1/2 cup
Cashews – 6-8 (soaked in 2 tbsp water)
Garam masala – 1 tsp


Rice preparation :

Wash and soak the rice in water for 25 minutes. Drain the water completely. Boil 6 cups water with half the quantity of whole masala & keep it aside. Heat butter in a vessel/pan, splutter the remaining whole masala and add the rice. Fry the rice for around 5-7 minutes or until the rice starts cracking. Add the boiled water,  & salt. Cook till the rice is done and water is completely dried. Spread the rice in a tray & keep aside.

Masala preparation :

Marinate the prawns with 1 tbsp of ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder, pepper powder and salt and keep it for 2-3 hours in the fridge. Meanwhile grind a handful of coconut  with a little water & keep it aside. Also grind the soaked cashews into a smooth paste.

Shallow fry the marinated prawns after the specified time. Once the prawns are fried, keep it aside and use the same oil to cook onions, remaining ginger garlic paste (1 tbsp) and green chilli. Once onions are fried well, add chopped tomatoes. Once the tomatoes are cooked, add curd, coconut,  paste. Once it boils add fried prawns and cook in low flame for 5-6 minutes. Add the cashew paste & 1 tsp of garam masala. Mix well. Cook for 2 more minutes & remove from fire.

Layering the Biriyani :

Preheat the oven to 180 degree 10 minutes before baking the biriyani. Apply some ghee to a baking dish. Put one layer of masala in the dish. On top of that spread some rice and make another layer. Again spread another layer of masala on top of the rice. Repeat the process until the masala and rice is finished. The top layer should be of rice. You can drizzle ghee in between the layers. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

Verdict : Strongly reccommended for any sea food lovers.


PS: Maria has suggested to put a wet cloth and cover the biriyani while baking. 


I am sending this to The Kerala Kitchen hosted by Magpie

Paneer Biriyani

Biryani is always considered a treat for special ocassions. I’m guessing all the hardwork and not to mention time associated in making this luscious fulfilling aromatic meal has definitely got something to do with it. There are over 30 varieties of Biryani made in India - and I can confess I haven’t tasted them all! For me, my mom has always been and always will be the Biryani Queen, for only she is fit to wear that crown. Her biryani is well known and loved among all the people we know, and that means every person each member of our family has ever invited into our humble home. Here I am trying my own version of paneer biriyani.This is a delicacy which myself and hubby dear looking forward during the lent season.

Ingredients

400 g (Paneer Cubes)

2 1/2 cups basmati rice

2 onions

1 piece ginger

5 garlic cloves

2 tomatoes

1/2 cup yogurt

4 cloves

2 cardamom

1 inch cinnamon stick

salt - To Taste

2 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon red chili powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder

Method

Fry the paneer lightly and drain. Wash basmati rice in plenty of water and soak in sufficient water for half an hour. Peel and finely slice onions. Peel ginger, garlic and grind together to a fine paste. Wash tomatoes and make a puree in a blender. Whisk the yogurt and keep aside. Boil five cups water in a thick-bottomed vessel, cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon, and one teaspoon salt. When the water starts boiling rapidly, drain the soaked basmati rice and add. Cook for eight to ten minutes, stirring frequently or until the rice is three fourth done. Drain. Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add sliced onions and stir-fry over high heat for two to three minutes or until the onion turns translucent. Add ginger-garlic paste and cook briefly. Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and turmeric powder. Stir-fry briefly and add the pureed tomatoes. Continue cooking over high heat for another two to three minutes, stirring continuously or until masala is fairly thick. Add the yogurt and garam masala powder. Stir well and cook for two minutes more. Add the paneer and salt to taste. Stir-fry over high heat for two to three minutes and remove from heat. Arrange the cooked rice and paneer masala in alternate layers in an oven proof dish. Bake for 15 minutes.

Chicken Biriyani

I have suddenly been bitten by the blogging bug. These days flipping through food blogs have become one of my favorite pass times, whether I make something out of it or not is a different question. The recipes should look really impressive and kinda easy to make, for me to come to that - "Try-it-out" mode. It's been quiet a long time that I am thinking about making Biriyani.It is something I ate with enjoyment, I had never dreamed that one day I would make these! As usual I asked my mom about the recipe. I religiously note down each and every step. I read through the whole thing and I must admit that I was a bit apprehensive about whether I can make it or not. Finally I rolled my sleeves in the afternoon and got down to start the preparation. So here is a virtual feast for all my friends out there with a chicken Biriyani.

Recipe Source : My Mom

Ingredients:

1. Rice - 1kg

2. Chicken - 1.5 Kg

3. Garlic - 1 Handful

4. Ginger - 7 Big Pieces

5. Green Chilly - 10 

6. Tomatoes - 3

7. Curd - 1 cup

8. Turmeric Powder - 1 teaspoon

9. Nuts - 1 Cup

10. Raisins -  1 Cup

11. Ghee - 1 Cup

12. Onions - 1 Cup

13. Coconut - 1 cup

14. Cardamom - 5 Each

15. Cinnamon -5 each

16. Cloves - 5 each

17. khus Khus - 2 Tablespoon

18. Jeera - 1/2 tsp

19. Lime Juice - 4 Tablespoon

20. Salt - To Taste

Method:

Rice:

Grind nuts and raisins. Boil the rice. Add cardamom, cinnamon, lime juice and paste of nuts and raisins to the cooked rice.

Chicken

Grind garlic, ginger, green chilly, tomatoes and apply on the chicken by adding curd, salt and turmeric powder. Cook the chicken in this paste and make the gravy very thick. 

Garnishing Layer:

Fry the onions first and when it turns light brown color add coconut and khus khus.

Put half portion of rice, ghee, and garnishing layer in the baking dish. Add chicken on top of it and put the balance rice. Add little ghee and 1/4th cup milk. Bake for 15 minutes at 180 deg c.