Saturday, December 16, 2006

Shrimp Biryani

Briyani alwasys jazzes up any special occasion. Easy and simple enough to prepare and the taste is well worth any extra effort. Briyani also happens to be a favorite of everyone in our house. This is my first attempt at Shrimp Briyani but the empty plates confirmed that it was well liked. The mint plant still has leaves on it although tiny. Winter has not been too bad,bad is the operative word here, is it Global Warming, El Nino? Those are worries for another day but now it is time to enjoy the Shrimp Briyani.

Shrimp Briyani

Ingredients
1. 10-15 medium sized shrimps cleaned (tails removed)
2. 2 Medium size potatoes peeled and cubed
3. 1 large red onion sliced thin
4. 1 large juicy tomato chopped fine
5. garlic 8 pods, 2inch piece ginger, 6 green chillies (according to tolerance level) minced in a food processor
6. 2 tsp lemon juice
7. 1/2 cup chopped mint
8. 1 cup chopped corriander leaves
9. Seasonings 4 cloves, 1/2 inch cinnamon stick, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 6-7 curry leaves
10. 2 tsps ghee
11. 2 tsp Oil (or as required)
12. 2 tsp turmeric powder
13. 1 tsp red chilly powder
14. 1/2 tbsp chicken masala or garam masala powder
15. 1 1/2 cup Basmati rice washed (Rice:Water ration 1 : 1 1/2)
16. Cashews, almond slivers (fried in a little bit of ghee)


Shrimp
1. Mix the Shrimp with a 1/4 tsp of turmeric, tsp of red chilly powder and 2 tsp of lemon juice and salt and set aside.

Method
1. In a heavy bottomed pan or pressure cooker heat oil and 2 tsps of ghee add the seasonings and when they start to brown,
2. Add the onion and saute till they turn brown
3. Add the minced garlic,ginger, green chilly mixture and let them cook
4. Add the mint and corriander leaves and saute till wilted.
5. Add the tomatoes and let the mixture cook till the tomatoes becomes pulpy and chutney consistensy.
6. Now add the masala powder and mix well.
7. Add the Shrimp and let it cook for a minute or two. Now fish out all the Shrimp and keep it aside if a few are left behind that is ok. This helps keep the shrimp from getting overcooked and chewy.
8. Add the potatoes and mix well.
9. Add the rice and mix well and fry for a few minutes gently.
10. In a separate sauce pan bring to a boil the required amount of water for the rice.
11. When the rice is well coated add the water and test if there is enough salt.
12. Keep the heat at medium and cook till the rice is 3/4 cooked and the water is almost gone.
13. Add the shrimp mix well and sprinkle a tsp of ghee on top, if using a pressure cooker reduce the heat to below medium, cover lid put the weight on and cook for 5-6 minutes. If using a regular pan close the lid and cook for 8-10 minutes checking at regular intervals.
14. Garnish with the fried nuts and serve with Onion Raitha.

12 comments:

  1. Looks delicious with those spices!I can make that without Shrimp,sounds good..Wonderful combination!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great stuff Indo. I just chicken biryani!!The only diff. in my Biryani is that I fry the shrimp lightly after marinating and keep aside and then add to the masala at the end.

    ReplyDelete
  3. ISG
    Your initial statement about biryani is so very true. Shrimp biryani looks great!
    Your terracotta figurines are beautiful, now I know what to buy on my next visit to India :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love this in restaurants and your version looks great.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great dish ! looks absolutely gorgeous !

    ReplyDelete
  6. The shrimp biryani looks lip smacking good ISG. And I love the terracota ganesha in the other post.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I was thinking about making Prawn biriyani for a party, after seeing this post i can't wait to do it. Biriyani is one fabulous spread served on a single plate. Thank you for sharing your recipe. Looks very good.

    ReplyDelete
  8. That looks delicious, ISG!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Lokks tooo good and makes me soooooooooo hungry
    BTW my blogroll does not show me updated blogs, why ???

    ReplyDelete
  10. Indo, I tried Acorn in your kootu method. Very Tasty ! Thanks for the recipe . Will be making it often.


    Shrimp Biriyani looks delicious !

    ReplyDelete
  11. Never mind.....but your blog name 'IndoSunGod' is puzzling me...and Iam trying to makeout your real name...he he..Have plenty of time free to use on this.. :). First choice came to my mind was Indira. Am I right?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anisha, no my name is not Indira... keep guessing

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by. Appreciate you taking the time.
Comments embedded with links, spam and in poor taste will not be published.