Cuisine, Indian

Mouth-watering Shrimp Biryani Recipe

Ratings – 4.5/5

Preparation Time – 50 to 60 minutes

If you love seafood, then we bet this is going to be your all-time favorite seafood dish! We all have heard about Chicken and Mutton Biryani, but do you know what is Shrimp Biryani? You will mostly find this in South India. The main protein elements used in this tempting biryani recipe are big and juicy shrimps. On popular demand, here is everything you need to know about the ultimate recipe for a mouth-watering Shrimp Biryani.

Invention Of Shrimp Biryani!

Origin – As per our research, a dish called Pilaf was quite popular in ancient Persia. If we are not wrong, the very roots of Biryani lie in Persia only. A few sources do say that Biryani was brought to India by the Mughals or the Arab traders! There is also another theory about the invention of Biryani where it is believed that the Turk-Mongol conqueror Timur was the one who brought this dish to India in 1398.
Inspiration – We can say with certainty that the recipe of Biryani is directly inspired by the recipe of Pilaf. Speaking specifically of Shrimp Biryani, we do think it is mostly inspired by the recipe of Chicken or Mutton Biryani. As per the information gathered by us, Shrimp Biryani is mostly a part of the Navayath cuisine. Many do say that the Bhatkal community was the one who made this dish popular.
Popularity – You can easily find Shrimp Biryani in many cities of South India and Goa. It tastes the best when you use fresh and big shrimp. Many also make biryani with prawns!

Ingredients

Vegetable oil for cooking
1 lb of Shrimps, washed and cleaned
3 cups of Basmati rice, soaked for 30 minutes
¼ tsp of turmeric
1 tsp of Shah Jeera
4 bay leaves
4 cinnamon sticks, small-sized
9 cardamom
9 cloves
8 Black peppercorns
2 Onion, sliced
1 tsp of garlic paste
1 tsp of ginger paste
½ tsp of ginger, grated
3-4 tsp of green chili paste
1 tomato, chopped
½ tsp of coriander powder
½ tsp of red chili powder
3 tbsp of coconut paste
2 tbsp of ghee
4 whole green chilies, cut in the center
2 tbsp of food coloring
1 tsp of garam masala
Fresh coriander, chopped
6 cups of hot water
Salt as per taste

Shrimp Biryani Recipe – Steps To Follow

Step 1

To begin this recipe, firstly marinate the shrimp with some turmeric and salt. Later in a pan, drizzle a bit of vegetable oil and cook the shrimp for at least 2 minutes. Once the shrimp has changed a bit of color, take them out of the pan and keep them aside.

Step 2

In the same pan, add ½ tsp of shah jeera, 2 bay leaves, 2 cinnamon sticks, 5 cardamom, 5 cloves, 8 Black peppercorns and a half cup of sliced onions. Sauté it for a minute or two and then add a teaspoon of each ginger and garlic paste. At the same time, also add green chili paste and sauté for a few more minutes.

Step 3

Later add chopped tomatoes to the pan. Once the tomatoes have cooked a bit, add half a teaspoon of each coriander powder and chili powder to the pan. Add a bit of water if required and season this with some salt. Sauté for a minute and then add coconut paste to the pan.

Step 4

Continue stirring and lastly add the shrimp to your prepared onion and tomato mixture. Sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. If required, add a bit more water to the pan, once your shrimp gravy is ready, turn off the heat and keep this aside.

Step 5

Now in a medium-sized pot, drizzle a bit of vegetable oil and add ½ tsp of shah jeera, 2 bay leaves, 2 cinnamon sticks, 4 cardamom, 4 cloves and a quarter cup of onions to the pot. Sauté the onions for a minute and later on add the soaked rice and mix everything well. At the same time, also grate a bit of ginger into the rice.

Step 6

Now, it’s time to add about 6 cups of hot water to the pot. Season your biryani rice with some salt and cook it on high flame for 6 to 7 minutes. Later on, put on the lid and cook it again for 10 minutes on low heat. Side by side, also fry about a quarter of onions until crispy and golden.

Step 7

Once your biryani rice has cooked evenly, take some of the rice out of the pot and keep it aside. Now, add the shrimp and fried onions into the pot and then put the rest of the rice back into the pot. Drizzle a bit of ghee all over the rice!

Step 8

At this stage, before putting your biryani on dum, add some fried onions, green chilies, food color and coriander on top of your rice. Now, put on the lid, keep the flame low and cook your Shrimp Biryani for 10 more minutes. Serve this hot with some tasty cucumber or brinjal raita on the side.