Shrimp Biryani
By: Anonymous
Published: Saturday, February 13, 2010 - 3:52pm

Ingredients




cup coconut cream
1 stem curry leaves
6 garlic, cloves, chopped
1 green chili, chopped
coarse salt to taste
1 tablespoon thick pulp tamarind
2 cups large shrimp, peeled, de-veined
2 ounces butter, clarified
Flavoured Water
4 cups water
3 Bay Leaf
teaspoon cumin
4 cloves
inch piece ginger, crushed
2 inch piece cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons canola oil
Rice
1 cup basmati rice
4 ounces clarified butter
10 crushed green cardamom pod
2 inch piece ginger, minced
teaspoon cumin, seed
1 chili, green, minced
Crispy Fried Onions
10 mediums onion, thinly, sliced
2 cups canola oil
Assembly
1 cup chopped fresh coriander, leaves
butter, for buttering baking dish
2 tablespoons whipping cream
fresh coriander, leaves
toasted almond
cup yogurt
cup crispy onions, optional

Preparation

1 Combine everything in a medium bowl except the shrimp and clarified butter. 2 Toss the shrimp in the marinade and let marinate for two hours in the refrigerator. 3 Heat clarified butter in a large saute pan on high heat and add the shrimp. 4 Cook, tossing, until half cooked, about 1 to 2 minutes. 5 Remove from heat and set aside. 6 Flavoured Water:Bring all the ingredients to a boil in a medium pot and let it simmer for a few minutes to extract the flavours. 7 Set aside. 8 Rice:Soak rice in water for one hour and drain. 9 Set aside. 10 Heat the butter in a large saucepan on medium-high heat. 11 Add remaining ingredients and stir until sizzling. 12 Add the soaked rice and fry for a few minutes or until translucent. 13 Add 2 cups of the flavoured water. 14 Bring to a boil and then simmer on low heat until the bubbles disappear. 15 Crispy Fried Onions:Heat hot oil in a large wok on high heat until almost smoking. 16 Add onions. 17 Flip them over in the oil until golden brown but not dark brown. 18 As soon as they are golden, remove the onions and drain on paper towels immediately. 19 Put the onions in a strainer to remove excess oil. 20 Assembly:Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. 21 Assemble the biryani by smearing a large Dutch oven with butter and cream. 22 Add 1/4 of the rice mixture and 1/4 of the yogurt. 23 Sprinkle with some of the coriander. You can also sprinkle a tablespoon of the crispy onions if you like. 24 Add 1/4 of the shrimp and spread into a layer. 25 Repeat the process until all the ingredients are used up, ending with rice. 26 Sprinkle with any remaining coriander and bake for 15 minutes. 27 Cool 5 minutes. 28 Serve the biryani with the fried onions, coriander and toasted almonds sprinkled on top. 29 For super crispy onions, put them in a metal strainer over a bowl when they come out of the hot oil. Put the onions still in the strainer (the strainer must be metal to do this) in an oven on low heat until dried somewhat and crispy (cooking time will vary). 30 Yield is 4 to 6 servings.