Spicy Prawn Biryani Recipe

prawn biryani recipe

A quick and easy dum biryani recipe using prawns. A simple salan or gravy and a bowl of fresh veggie salad goes well with this biryani. To keep the recipe simple, i have not used saffron, milk or yogurt. It has been made using fresh black tiger prawns, any variety of fresh or frozen prawns or shrimps can be used.If you are using frozen prawns or one that is not very fresh, i suggest soaking them in vinegar for a while and rinsing. To prepare the gravy i used little coconut milk, packed or fresh homemade coconut milk can be used. I do not like to use yogurt for prawn biryani, hence i have used coconut milk. Using coconut milk for sea food lends a good taste and flavor, this prawn biryani recipe works good with yogurt as well.


* Drain the water completely from prawns, add chili powder, turmeric, salt, masala powder and little lemon juice.


* Marinate and rub them gently for a while with the marinade. Set aside for at least 30 minutes. You can also do this the previous night and refrigerate.

Wash and soak rice for about 30 minutes. Drain off. Bring 3 to 4 cups of water to a boil with a bay leaf, 4 green cardamoms, 1/2 tsp shahi jeera. Add rice to the pot and cook until fully done but it should remain grainy and not mushy.

* Heat oil in a pan, Add bay leaf, shahi jeera, cloves, cardamom, star anise and cinnamon. Use just an inch of cinnamon, i used ceylon cinnamon hence used a bit more. This biryani needs a little more oil than the other non-veg biryani recipes since prawns do not release much fats when cooked. Stick on to the quantity mentioned in the recipe else biryani may turn dry.

*  When they begin to splutter, add sliced onions. Separate the layers of onions before adding. Fry until brown or golden.

* Browned onions lend a good flavor, so don’t skip this. You can set aside a few for garnishing. Add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes off.

* Add chopped tomatoes, mint and coriander leaves. Cook until the tomatoes turn soft

* Add turmeric, red chili powder, biryani masala powder . I also added a bit of coriander powder since my masala powder was very strong.

* Cook until the oil begins to separate.  Add marinated prawns.

11. Fry till they turn white and the raw smell goes away.  Cover and cook on a low flame for 3 minutes.

*. Let the flame remain low. Pour slightly thick coconut milk and stir. If you do not follow any food combining rules of compatibility you can use yogurt/curd as well instead of coconut milk.

*Cook until the gravy thickens. Off the stove and set the pan aside. The color of the gravy is dark due to the brown onions.

* Grease a pot for dum process. Layer half of the rice.

* Layer the gravy. Layer the rice. You can add 1/4 cup rice to the pan (used for cooking prawns), stir and add back the rice to the biryani pot. This makes the top layer colorful and flavorful without the use of saffron. Add coriander and mint leaves.

*  Cover with a foil or tight lid. Heat a tawa until hot enough. Place the biryani pot on the hot tawa and dum for 15 to 20 minutes on a very low flame.Allow it       to rest for at least 15 minutes after the dum. Then Ready Serve Into Bowl