Name: Prawns dum biryani / chemmeen biryani
Prep time: 19 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 54 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: En
Ingredients: 500 g prawns, cleaned and deveined; 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder; 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder; 3/4 teaspoon salt; 2 cups basmati rice; 3 cloves; 3 cardamom; 3 cinnamon sticks; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ghee; Water for cooking; 45 ml ( 3 tablespoons ) cooking oil; 2 bay leaves; 3 cloves; 3 cardamom; 3 cinnamon sticks; 500 g prawns; 5 onions, sliced fine; 1/2 bunch coriander leaves, chopped; 1/2 bunch mint leaves, chopped; 1 pod garlic ( 20 cloves ), chopped and crushed; 2 inch piece ginger, chopped and crushed; 3 tomatoes, chopped; 1 green chilli, slit lengthwise; 3/4 teaspoon red chilli powder; 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder; 2 teaspoon coriander powder; 1 1/4 teaspoon salt ( or to taste )

Ingredients

For the prawns:

500 g prawns, cleaned and deveined
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
3/4 teaspoon salt

For the Rice:

2 cups basmati rice
3 cloves
3 cardamom
3 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ghee
Water for cooking

For the Prawns Gravy:

45 ml ( 3 tablespoons ) cooking oil

Whole spices:

Preparation

Preparation19 min

Cook time35 min

For the prawns: Marinate prawns with the above ingredients and keep aside for 30 minutes.
For the Rice:
Take plenty of water in a pot ; add rice, whole spices, salt and ghee. Cook till three - fourth done. Drain out water.
For the Prawns Gravy:
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed kadai. Fry whole spices for 2- 3 minutes. Add sliced onions and fry till light pink in color. Add crushed garlic and ginger. Fry for 3 - 4 minutes on a low heat. Add chopped tomatoes, green chilli, chopped mint and coriander leaves. Fry for 4- 5 minutes. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt to taste. Mix well and saute for 4 - 5 minutes or till the raw smell goes.
Add marinated prawns. Mix well. Do not add water. Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 20 minutes ( till the gravy thickens and a nice aroma ).
For Dum ( or the final preparation of Biryani ):
In a heavy bottomed vessel spread a layer of prawns gravy and a portion of cooked rice. Make 2 or 3 layers with rice and prawns gravy. Cover with a lid. Seal with atta dough on the edges of the lid. It is preferable to place an iron kadai / iron tawa under the vessel to prevent the gravy / mixture from burning. Cook ( dum ) on a low heat for 30 minutes. You can see a color change in the seal. Open the seal and serve with pickle / raita/ pappadam.