Prawn Biryani - a seafood take on our favourite rice dish!

eating these with my fingers would be so shiok rn...

if you know me, you’d know how much I love making and eating biryani. the process in itself is a labour of love and it’s something I enjoy making when it comes to preparing food for gatherings with friends and family.

while we at nOm (@nOmies.co) have had our fair share of showcasing several biryani recipes, this Prawn Biryani is a bit different since it steers away from the traditional ‘dum’ method, since the protein component and the rice is both cooked separately, and with good reason - unlike chicken and mutton, prawns & other seafood require a significantly shorter cooking time and cooking them for a second time with the rice using the ‘dum’ preparation would overcook them, turning them rubbery.

for this recipe, I used parboiled basmati rice which guarantees a fluffier texture with the grains staying separated after cooking. however, regular aged basmati rice works just as well.

fresh prawns from the market work best for this - the fresher the better! you can also substitute it with squid!

@nomies.councle can do 1000 sit ups meanwhile I struggle to even sit up from my bed 🛌🏽😴 the road to ageing well starts at any age. let’s shift our focus from intervention to prevention – sometimes, the best fitspo comes from our elders! discover how the DBS Foundation is redefining ageing: https://www.dbs.com/foundation/ageing.html link in bio for the recipe! 😙 #sg #sgfood #sgfoodie #food #doodie #recipe #fyp #nom #foodtiktok

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Prawn Biryani

(serves 5-6)

restaurant-style plain biryani:
500g parboiled basmati rice, soaked in water for 1 hour
2 tbsp ghee / oil
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 cinnamon stick
5 whole cloves
2 star anise
2 dried bay leaves
3 medium red onion, thinly sliced
25g ginger + 4 cloves garlic, blended to a paste
2 green chillies, sliced
1 tomato, diced
25g biryani masala powder
500 ml of water (or more, if needed)
200ml evaporated milk
salt, to taste
2 sprigs coriander leaves, chopped
1/2 cup cashews, toasted

prawn masala:
18 prawns, shell-on
1/2 cup oil
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 sprig curry leaves
2 dried chillies, split
2 medium red onion, sliced
2 green chillies, sliced
30g ginger + 3 cloves garlic, blended to a paste
1 tomato, diced
1 tbsp fish curry powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp chilli powder
1 cup water
salt to taste
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp cooking caramel / dark soy sauce (optional, for colour)
2 sprigs coriander leaves, chopped

directions

making the biryani rice

• in a pot, melt ghee on medium heat. temper the cumin, cinnamon, cloves, star anise and bay leaves for 1 minute. add in the onions and sauté until golden brown and crisp.

• spoon in the ginger-garlic paste and chillies and fry for 2 minutes. then add in tomatoes and biryani masala. stir through and cook the spices for another 2 minutes.

• pour in water and evaporated milk and bring to a boil. add in the strained rice and season with salt. bring the liquid back to a boil and transfer to a rice cooker and cook until done.

• fold in the chopped coriander. serve on a plate with a garnishing of toasted cashews.

  prawn masala

• heat oil in a pan/wok. temper the mustard seeds, curry leaves and dried chillies. once they start to splutter, combine the onions and saute until golden.

• spoon in the ginger-garlic paste and green chilli and fry for 2 minutes. then add in tomatoes and stir well.

• in a separate bowl, mix fish curry powder, chilli powder and turmeric with 1/2 cup water into a paste. add into the pot and and mix well. add water and salt, cover and simmer for 6-8 minutes, stirring from time to time to prevent burning.

• add in the black pepper and cooking caramel. and mix well. adjust seasoning to taste.

• last stir in the prawns. cover the pan and let the prawns fully cook until pink, flipping them halfway through.

• serve prawns on top of the biryani and sprinkle with chopped coriander.

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  check out these other BIRYANI recipes we’ve done!: