Prawn Pulao (Prawn Biriyani) Indian Recipe

This is a quick and easy recipe, which can be prepared in a rice cooker or pressure cooker. It is easy compared to a Dum biriyani, and doesnt have layering, as in a Dum Biriyani.

Here you go..

Prawns - 1/2 kg (I used small School Prawns)

Rice - 1.5 cups (Basmati Rice/Jeera Rice)

Onion - 2 big (chopped finely)

Tomato - 2 big (chopped finely)

Ginger/Garlic Paste - 2 tsp

Cinnamon - 2 inch stick

Cloves - 4

Bay Leaves - 2

Mace - 1

Anistar - 1

Cardamom - 4

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander Powder - 1.5 tsp

Green chillies - 3

Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp

Coriander Leaves - 2 sprigs

Oil - 2 tbsp (Olive oil)

Salt - as needed

Water - 2.75 cups (or diluted Coconut Milk. For 1 cup water, use 0.5 cup coconut milk)

1. Soak rice in water for 30 minutes.

2. De-vein, and de-shell the prawns, clean them, and marinate with 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, red chilli powder and salt. Leave them aside for 30 minutes. It will be best if you are leaving it overnight in the fridge.

3. Heat oil in a pan, and shallow fry the prawns in it. Make sure not to overcook them, as they may turn chewy, if cooked for a long time.

4. Once they are fried, remove them from the pan and set aside.

5. Heat oil in the same pan. If there is oil remaining from the frying of prawns, you can use it.

6. Once it is hot, add Cinnamon, cloves, Bay leaves, Mace, Anistar and cardamom. Fry for 2 minutes, untill the aroma comes out.

7. Now add chopped onion and green chillies, and fry untill onion becomes golden in colour. Add 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, and fry again.

8. Once the aroma of ginger-garlic starts spreading, add the turmeric, chilli, coriander and salt, and saute for a minute. Now add tomatoes, and cook till oil seperates.

9. Add the prawns, and mix the ingredients well, and leave it to cook for 5 minutes, till all the water is evaporated.

10. Move this masala to a rice cooker or pressure cooker, and add water to it (If you are using coconut milk, add diluted coconut milk instead of water. If using coconut milk powder, then add 2 tbsp of it to the 2.75 cups of water). Check the salt, and add more at this stage if necessary. 

11. Add a tbsp of olive oil, rice and start the rice cooker.

12. Once cooked, switch off the cooker.Once it is cooled down, open it, add lemon juice and coriander leaves and mix well.

13. Yummy Prawns Biriyani is ready. Have it with cucumber, tomato, onion raitha ! Please do try it at home, kids are also going to love it.