Spicy Prawns Biriyani

Biriyani, of course the most loved one pot dish of India, and this biriyani is most loved at my home, which has the authentic Malabar biriyani flavor and aroma. Although this is taken from Malabar biriyani concept, I have made some customization to suit to my family's taste. If it is a biriyani day, I am relieved from many of my duties making other side dishes and especially the waiting time in my table to get people for lunch. These days, I don't even have to call my boys for lunch, as the participation would be so proactive, starting from preparation, which in normal days are like waiting for them in the table for half an hour and then the last option to get them to table is raising my voice :P

This biriyani is famous among my friends circle too, and has a name too; The 28 ingredient dish. Basically all biriyanis would have all these ingredients, but when I listed the ingredients for the first time, they seem to be overwhelmed by that. Apart from the time taken to gather the ingredients and setting up, the preparation time is quite less and also as it is a one pot dish, you don't have to worry much about cleaning up session.

So the base of any of my biriyani recipes would be the same for chicken, mutton, fish or veggie, and I find it so easy and a show winner one pot dish. I usually accompany this with a simple raita, pickle and papad. Some days if I feel like going a little overboard, I will have some kerala spice chicken fry as side dish.

My Gauthu loves this version a lot, as this has his favorite prawns and he loves to cook biriyani with me. He will take his place in the side of kitchen counter and takes the role of co-chef helping me with ingredients and with stirring in between. Of course I love this sweet co chef of mine, as he is so obedient at kitchen, taking my instructions and always make sure my temper is in control :D All these done on the promise that first bowl is served to him ;) 

Added note from him: "before taking photos". So now a days I make sure that he is well fed before I have my food photo shoot session :D It doesn't seem to be fair to make wait a drooling boy counting the minutes on when this would be over and I can have some :P

So over to my recipe. 

Ingredients:

Daawat basmati rice -1 1/4 cups

Prawns - 1/2 kg , cleaned 

Onion sliced - 4 nos

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Tomatoes - 2 nos

Thick curd - 1/2 cup

Green chillies, crushed - 8 nos

Coconut oil - 3 tbsp

Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Mint leaves - 2 sprigs

Coriander leaves chopped - 1/2 cup

Spices:

Dry bay leaf - 1

Cinnamon - 2 inch stick

Cardamom - 5 pods

Cloves - 5 pods
Pepper pods - 4

Star anise - 2 nos

Powders:

Nutmeg powder - 1/2 tsp

Crushed pepper - 1 tsp

Chilly powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Assembly:

Milk - 1/4 cup

Rose water - 2 -3 tbsp

Garam masala - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Mint leaves - 2 sprigs

Coriander leaves chopped - 1/2 cup

Ghee - 3 tbsp

Method:

Cook rice to 70 % done and keep aside.

Pour oil in a pressure cooker and fry raw spices. Sauté the onions till golden brown. Add all leaves, tomatoes, green chillies and the powders. Add the cleaned prawns, ginger garlic paste and cook for 5 mins. Now add curd and cook for a min. Add the semi cooked rice in top layer and pour in items for assembly. Close the lid of pressure cooker and cook for sometime. You can cook with whistle on and cook till 1 whistle.

Give it a stir and serve with raita, papadam and salad.

Note: Assembly can be done in other way when rice and masala is cooked separately and each layer the ingredients in Assembly would be added, an finally kept for dum. 
Dum, as many of you know is the way to give constant medium heat using a heavy bottomed pan and charcoal or a iron griddle in which the biriyani pot would rest. The pot is tightly sealed for entire dum time.