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prawns pothi biryani

Prawns pothi biryani

Abhipriya Raghav
A flavorful biryani recipe with a unique method of preparation involving steaming in banana leaves.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

To marinate the prawns

  • 300 grams prawns, cleaned and deveined
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • ½ tsp red chili powder
  • 2 tsp kashmiri chili powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • ¼ tsp black pepper powder
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • salt, as required

For the barista

  • 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup oil

To prepare the rice

  • 1 cup jeeraga samba/ jeerakasala/ jeera rice
  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • handful of chopped coriander leaves
  • handful of chopped mint leaves
  • 1 tbsp crushed ginger-garlic-green chili
  • salt, as required

To prepare the prawns masala

  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • tbsp crushed ginger-garlic-green chili
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 2 medium tomato, pureed
  • handful of fried onions
  • handful of chopped coriander leaves
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • ½ tsp red chili powder
  • ½ tsp kashmiri chili powder
  • tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • salt, as required

To layer the biryani (for one parcel)

  • 1-2 banana leaves
  • few fried cashews, optional
  • few fried raisins, optional
  • handful of chopped coriander leaves

Instructions
 

Marinate the prawns

  • In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients (except the prawns), listed under 'To marinate the prawns' Mix well to form a paste.
    prawns pothi biryani
  • Add the cleaned prawns to the bowl and mix well with the paste. Marinate the prawns for 2 hours or atleast 30 minutes.
    prawns pothi biryani

Preparing the barista

  • To a pan on medium heat, add the oil. Add the sliced onions when the oil is hot and fry the onions until golden brown on low heat.
    prawns pothi biryani
  • Transfer the fried onions onto a plate and set aside.
    prawns pothi biryani

Preparing the rice

  • Wash and soak the jeera rice for 30 minutes.
    prawns pothi biryani
  • In a pressure cooker or a heavy bottomed pan, add the ghee and oil and let it heat on medium.
    prawns pothi biryani
  • Add garam masala, coriander leaves and mint leaves to the hot oil and fry briefly.
    prawns pothi biryani
  • Add the crushed ginger-garlic-green chili and fry in the oil until it cooks.
    prawns pothi biryani
  • Drain the rice and add it to the pressure cooker. Mix well with the masala.
    prawns pothi biryani
  • Add 2 cups water, mix well and add salt appropriately. Close the lid and let it cook for 4 whistles or until done, on medium heat. Once the pressure has settled, open the lid and fluff the rice.
    prawns pothi biryani

Preparing the prawns masala

  • To a kadai on medium heat, add the leftover oil from making barista. Add the marinated prawns into the oil and fry until golden on both sides.
    prawns pothi biryani
  • Transfer the fried prawns onto a plate and set aside.
    prawns pothi biryani
  • To the same kadai, add ghee along with the crushed ginger-garlic-green chili. Fry until the raw smell disappears.
    prawns pothi biryani
  • Add sliced onions and cook until onions are transparent.
    prawns pothi biryani
  • Add the crushed or pureed tomato and mix well.
    prawns pothi biryani
  • Add fried onions and chopped coriander leaves along with the required salt and let it cook until oil separates.
    prawns pothi biryani
  • Add all the spice powders to the masala, mix well and cook for less than a minutes.
    prawns pothi biryani
  • Mix the fried prawns along with the onion tomato masala.
    prawns pothi biryani
  • Let it cook for a minute. Switch off the heat and set aside.
    prawns pothi biryani

Layering the biryani

  • To a tadka pan on medium heat, add some ghee. Fry the cashews until golden on all sides and fry the raisins briefly in hot oil.
    prawns pothi biryani
  • Wash the banana leaves and place it directly on heat or on a tava to wilt it. Gently move the leaf up and down (on both sides) to make sure the entire leaf is soft and pliable
    prawns pothi biryani
  • Place one or two of the wilted banana leaves on a flat surface. Spread half of the required rice (for one parcel) and spread some prawns masala too on the rice.
    prawns pothi biryani
  • Top it with another layer of rice and garnish it with coriander leaves, fried onions, cashews and raisins.
    prawns pothi biryani
  • Fold the banana leaf from all sides to make a parcel and secure it with a string. Place the parcel on a steamer or an idli pan and steam for 10 minutes. Let it rest for another 10 minutes before opening.
    prawns pothi biryani
  • Serve hot with any raita of your choice or with any pickle too.
    prawns pothi biryani

Notes

  • Marinate the prawns atleast for an hour.
  • Instead of ghee and oil, you can also use coconut oil.
  • You can also use basmati rice instead of jeera rice. Although, the flavor is the most in jeera rice.
  • I used rice to water ratio as 1:2. 
  • Do not cook the prawns for a longer time as they become hard.
  • Let the prawns masala be thick to make sure that it does not run outside the parcel.
  • Using raisins and cashews are completely optional.
  • While wilting the leaf, make sure you do not tear it. Gently flip and move the leaf up and down too.
  • Steam the parcel for 10 minutes and let it rest for sometime before opening it.
Keyword biryani, kerala biryani, kerala food, pothi biryani, prawn, prawn biryani, prawn masala