Prawns Dum Biryani

Sea food lovers will enjoy this dish. A very easy and quick recipe, though you need all the essential spices here. Prawns gets cooked very fast, so you can finish this biryani in 35 minutes.

Ingredients :

For Marination: (30 minutes)
King Prawn --  1/2 kg
Ginger Garlic  Paste --  1 tsp
Lemon Juice -- 1  tsp

For Cooking Rice:
Dabur Basmati rice - 2 cup
Oil  -  1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Cloves - 2nos.
Cardamom - 2 nos.
Shah Jeera - 1 tsp
Cinnamon - 1 in piece
Bay leaves - 1 no.
              
For Masala :
Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
Black Cardamom - 2 nos.
1tbsp Cumin seeds
1tbsp Saunf
Cloves - 4 nos.
Star anise 2 nos.
15 black pepper corns
Bay leaves - 1 no.
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp
coconut oil - 2 tbsp                         
Onion (medium) - 5 nos.   
2 tbsp garlic fine chops
1 tbsp  ginger fine chops                   
Tomato chopped - 1 nos. 
10-15 soya chunks (previously soaked in warm water, drained and kept aside)            
Green chillies fine chops - 4 nos.  
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1 tsp   
Thick yogurt  - 4 tbsp      
Kasturi methi leaves - 1 tbsp     
Mint  Leaves fine chops - 1 cup                        
Cilantro/coriander - a handful                 
Method :
Marination :
Marinate the shrimp with the given items for minimum half an hour or do it over night in refrigerator. This ensures shimp to be juicy when it's cooked.

Masala preparation:

• Take a kadai  and add both ghee and coconut oil together. Add the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, star anise, pepper once the ghee melts and fry for few minutes. 

• Add the green chilli, Chopped ginger-garlic saute well for 2 minutes.

• Now add the onions anf fry well till it turns transparent. When onions is done, add the ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, chilli powder and a tbsp salt. Saute well for 3-4 minutes.

• Add the coriander powder fry for a minute, then add the tomatoes followed by yogurt and cook well till the content blends well.

• Add the mint & coriander leaves and fry well for 3 minutes.

• When mint/coriander leaves are done , add the kasturi methi and fry well for few seconds.

• Finally add the marinated prawns and the Soya chunks & adjust the salt here. While the prawns is getting cooked, we will start making Basmati Rice.

Basmati Rice cooking procedure:

• 2 cups of Dabur Basmati rice (Washed well and soaked for 30 mins, For 2 cups of rice add 3 1/2 cups of water. Note: Here I haven't added 1/2 cup more as the rice is already soaked, it contains little of water absorbed in it).
• Cook the Basmati in a wide vessel.
• First let the water boil well, after which add the drained basmati & little of salt. Let it boil well for 2-3 mins under high flame, after which close the lid and keep the flame to lowest heat. The Rice will need 10-15 minutes to get cooked. (See that you don't add much salt here) 
• Keep watching the rice, it should only cook to 90% (You will see little bit water under rice, and this will be absorbed while it is cooked along Prawns under Dum). When you see its done transfer the upper layer onto the Prawns masala which is ready, add all the rice (the bottom most rice going on to the top). 
• Now layer it with some chopped mint leaves and 2-3 tbsp of Kesar water (choice).
• Now close the lid and keep the heat to lowest and let the contents get cooked in lower heat for 8-10 minutes.
• After 8 minutes switch off the burner and let the cooker be keep aside for 5 minutes. When you open you can see that all the content have dried and the rice and Prawns layer have been cooked to perfect!!! I have mixed the bottom content before serving, in the picture below. Wow, I just love Dum biryani !!! Enjoy the Biryani with a side dish along Raita.