Malabar Prawn (Shrimp) Biryani is yet another biryani from the Malabar region in Southern India. I had posted the recipe of the very famous and delicious Kozhikodan Chicken biryani couple of weeks earlier which was loved by many readers. The shrimp or prawn biryani is another variation of the biryani. It is very delicious and the delight of any seafood lover.
The Malabar biryanis are very popular for their unique taste. Being a coastal city, the fish and seafood obtained there are so fresh and nothing can beat the taste. So do plan to taste the seafood when you visit the Malabar region without fail.
How to make Malabar Prawn (Shrimp) biryani?
Today's recipe uses shrimp. To make the Biryani the prawns are marinated in a spicy gravy and fried. The rice is then prepared separately and then layered with the prawn gravy and garnishes. The biryani will taste even better when kept for a while as all the juice of the prawns is soaked by the rice. We are big seafood fans, coming from a coastal state, and prefer it over any other dish! Fish biryani can also be prepared similarly, Kingfish is normally used in Malabar Fish biryani.
The condiments that can go along with this biryani are curd salad, Pappad, pickle. It can be even had as is. This is a great dish for potlucks and get-togethers as well. Without many ramblings, let me directly take you to the ingredients, recipe, and cooking process. Enjoy!
Malabar Prawn Shrimp Biryani is a very popular dish from Kozhikode or Malabar with prawn and layered rice based on Malabar Indian cuisine
- 4 cups 4 cups Basmati Rice
- 4 tsp ghee or Clarified Butter
- 4 tsp oil
- 5-6 cloves
- 3-4 cinnamon (small pieces)
- 2 bay leaves
- 5-6 cardamoms
- ½ onion diced
- 1 tsp salt per taste
- 5 cups Water
- 1 packet fresh or frozen shrimp thawed 25-30
- 2 tsp red chilly powder
- 2 tsp garam masala
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 tbsp salt to taste
- 2-3 curry leaves
- 3-4 tbsp Oil 3
- 2 tbsp Ghee
- 1 cup Onion sliced
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 cup tomato
- 5-6 green chilies chopped
- ½ cup mint leaves finely chopped
- ¼ cup coriander leaves
- ¼ cup curd
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp biryani masala or garam masala
- 1 tsp red chilly powder
- ½ tsp black pepper powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- 2 onion cut into long thin stripes
- 10 cashews
- 10 raisins
- 5 tbsp ghee for frying
- 1 sprig 1 sprig of mint leaves
- 1 cup coriander leaves chopped
- ¼ tsp garam masala
- 3 tbsp milk
- 3-4 saffron few strands
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 2-3 tbsp oil
De-vein and clean the prawn with salt and water .
Marinate it with the ingredients in the "For Shrimp/Prawn marination" section for about 15 to 20 mins
Wash the rice, drain and keep aside
Heat a thick bottomed pan , add the ghee and oil
Add the thin sliced onions and fry until crisp golden brown
Add the cashews and raisins ,brown it as well
The thin fried onions, cashews and raisins will be used for garnishing.
In the remaining ghee and oil, add the spices under the "For rice" section
Next add the diced onions and sautée
After 2 mins add the washed rice
Fry for about 5 to 7 mins until the rice turns opaque
Add the salt and water and cook until done in a rice cooker
Wait for the steam to be released and rice to be cooled.
Soak the saffron in the milk and keep aside
Pour ghee and oil in a large deep bottomed pan and fry the shrimp for about 5 minutes.
Drain and keep aside.
Add a little more oil and ghee
Add ginger garlic paste,green chillies and tomatoes and keep frying till it is mushy.
Add chopped mint and coriander leaves
Add dry spices red chilly powder, turmeric, pepper and garam masala ,sautée for another 5 mins
Add curd and lemon juice and stir continuously
Add ⅓ of the fried onions kept aside for garnish
There should be a nice gravy by now
Add the fried shrimp and mix well
Add some chopped coriander leaves and squeeze a little lemon.
Next process is layering of the biryani, transfer the cooked rice into a big bowl and garnish with fried onions,cashews ,raisins,chopped mint and coriander leaves
Then add a layer of the shrimp gravy and repeat layering with rice, shrimp and again layer with garnish onions , nuts ,raisins, mint and coriander leaves.
Gently mix and fluff so the gravy is evenly mixed into the rice.
Squeeze half a lemon if you like (optional)
.Finally garnish with chopped coriander leaves, and the remaining garnishes.
Add ghee, saffron soaked milk and sprinkle some garam masala on top of the rice.
Cover with a tight lid and keep on the lowest heat for about 20 minutes
Open the lid, fluff up the rice and biryani is now ready to be served.
Accompaniments that are usually served with this dish are fritters (pappad), yogurt salad .Enjoy 🙂
I have never thought about cinnamon in rice dish before! Great idea!!
Cinnamon and cloves are used in combination in many Indian biryanis and dishes and gives a wonderful taste and aroma! Thank you for stopping by!
This looks so good! Love the seasonings you have here.
Thank you Ronit, yes indeed the varieties of spices used gives the biryani a very unique flavor !
Will try it soon..
I would be happy to hear how it turned out! Thank you!
Looking delicious 😋😋😋.
Thanks a lot!
Wow! Looks scrumptious! 😛
Thanks so much!
Love Biryani and this looks so delectable 😍 Beautifully presented 👌
Thanks a lot , hope you try this sometime, it is very delicious !
I am drooling...thanks to you! 😉
Awww.Thanks for the lovely comment!
Soooo yum! My kind of Biryani! X
Thank you Lorelle, it's my favorite as well!
Absolutely love the masala ❤ biryani is always ❤❤
Thanks dear! glad you like it!
Perfectly cooked rice and amazing burst of flavours! Malabar in a bowl with their speciality seafood. Great share!
Well said my friend indeed it has wonderful flavors!
Shrimp Biryani is just awesome. Love the way you have presented step by step recipe. Keep up the good work and look forward for more such interesting and intriguing recipes.
Thank you so much!
Aaaaaaahhhh, This is my fave Indian dish-I am not indian, but cook it for my family at my own house. Now that I have seen it, making it again this week.
Nice to hear that you cook Indian dishes , glad to hear you got the inspiration to try it again!
The shrimp biryani looks lip smacking and who can say no to biryani.
Thank you so much dear Lathiya! Absloutely right , it is difficult to refuse a biryani and that too a prawn/shrimp one 🙂 my favorite.
Your prawn biryani looks so so good. I love all the spices and seasoning you have used. I'm sure it tastes amazing. On my to make list!
Thank you so much Jacqueline! You will absolutely love this delicious dish.
This looks like a delicious dish that could make a great one-pot meal! My daughters and husband all LOVE shrimp, so I bet they would really enjoy this!
Yes absolutely right Flossie! A great one pot meal indeed , wonderful to hear that your family loves shrimp . The same at our place as well we love anything made with shrimp . I'm pretty sure you will love this .Enjoy!