Prawns Biryani

Biryani - Adrian's all time favorite. He can eat Biryani 7 days a week but it's only that I don't make it. Heee heee heeeeeee.

If I ask Adrian what should I cook today and with a big smile there will be a quick demand for "BIRYANI". If I have a fight with Adrian and wanna patch up all I have to do is make some Biryani and all the anger is fumed away with the pleasant Biryani aroma..

Sabrina (sabu) my daughter is another foodie who loves rice and cannot live with out it. She is banned from eating rice. It's been more than a month I haven't made rice and she is like literally dying to eat rice. I'm gonna surprise her today with this yummy Prawns Biryani.

Check out my hoggers expresions :) she is a darling monster of mine. Love u Sabu.





Ingredients :

750 gms Prawns (shelled & deveined)


750 gms of Basmati rice (wash & let it soak for 1 hour)
whole garam Masala (1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 " cinnamon sticks, 7-8 cloves, 2 black cardamom, 3-4 green cardamom)

3 medium Onions (thinly sliced)
4 big tomatoes (roughly chopped)
5 green chillies
1 cup full fat yoghurt (170 gms)
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 cup oil
1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chilly powder
3/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp garam masala powder
2 tsp kewra essence
1 big lemon juice
1/4 cup milk
few drops of yellow food colour
few sprigs of chopped mint & coriander leaves
Salt to taste.


Wash the rice 4-5 times and remove all the starch. Keep it aside to soak for 1 hour.

Grind the tomatoes, green chillies & yoghurt to a smooth paste in a blender and leave it aside.



In a big casserole take 1/2 cup oil, heat the oil... Add the sliced onions and let it brown.

Now add the ground puree, ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder & turmeric powder.

Fry the above puree & spices till it starts leaving oil.



Add 1 cup of water, add salt to taste.

Add the prawns, mix and let it cook on slow flame for 2-3 minutes. Don't over cook the prawns. Put off the flame and leave it aside.



In another big vessel take water and let it boil. Add the whole garam masala.

Just few minutes before the water starts boiling add the soaked rice, add 3 tbsp salt. Stir.

As soon as the water starts boiling. Remove 7-8 big serving spoons of rice, strain. Now layer that rice over the prawns gravy. sprinkle some chopped coriander, chopped mint, 1/4 tsp garam masala powder.


Let the remaining rice cook a little longer for another 2 minutes. Strain & put it over the one boil cooked rice. Sprinkle chopped coriander & mint leaves, 1/2 tsp garam masala powder.

In a bowl take milk, add kewra essence & few drops of yellow colour., Sprinkle it over the top rice layer.



Add 4-5 tsp of ghee or oil over the rice.




Seal the handi with an alluminium foil.




Take an old frying pan or tava heat it. Now keep your handi over the tava and let the biryani cook in its own steam (dum) for 25 minutes on very slow flame.




ENJOY THE YUMMY PRAWNS BIRYANI WITH YOUR OWN CHOICE OF RAITA