Prawns (Chemmeen) Biryani (Malabar style)

Dive into the flavours of Kerala with our Malabar Prawns Biryani, a seafood lover’s delight that captures the essence of the Malabar Coast. This delectable dish features succulent prawns masala, layered with fragrant jeerakashala rice and infused with traditional Malabar cuisine’s rich, savoury flavours. Each mouthful offers a perfect balance of heat, spice, and subtle sweetness, making it an unforgettable culinary experience. Ideal for special occasions or a luxurious Friday post-Jumuah lunch, this Chemmeen Biryani will transport your taste buds to the tropical shores of Southern India, delivering an authentic and irresistible flavour.

Serves 6

Marinate the prawns:
1 kg prawns deveined
2 tsp red chilly powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
2 tsp minced ginger – garlic

For the Masala:
4 large onions sliced
2 large tomatoes chopped
2-inch piece ginger
6 cloves garlic
12 green chillies
a bunch of coriander leaves chopped finely
½ lime – juice
1tsp garam masala powder

For the rice
5 cups of Jeerakashala rice (to the equivalent of 1kg rice) washed and drained
10 cups of boiling water
2 tsp ghee
2 tbsp oil
1/2 lime- squeezed
whole garam masala (1 or 2 each cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf)

Let’s prepare

Clean the prawns well and then marinate in chilly powder, turmeric, salt and ginger garlic. Add a small splash of water if it is too dry to coat all the pieces of prawns.

In a large wide-bottomed non stick pan, add 2 Tbsp oil and shallow fry the prawns lightly until golden in batches. Remove and set aside on a plate. Add more oil if required and add a few pieces of whole garam masalas. When the spices start spluttering slightly in the oil, add the sliced onions and sauté until it is deep golden. This will take a while so be patient. Keep sautéing. Add salt at this stage so it helps the onions to soften faster.
After around 10-15 mins, the onion should be deep golden and mushy. Minced the ginger garlic and chillies in a grinder or chopper. Add the paste to the pan and sauté again for a few minutes. Next comes the tomatoes. Sauté everything until the tomatoes break down and are really soft. Toss the prawns into the pan. Add a handful of chopped coriander leaves, ½ lime juice and ½ tsp garam masala powder and mix really well. Check for salt, and add if necessary. The mixture should be thick and not soupy or dry.

For the rice, in a large nonstick pot, add oil and ghee and when it’s hot add a few whole garam masalas. Toss in the washed and drained rice and sauté the rice for a few minutes until it is fragrant, roasted and almost crisp. You will be able to differentiate the texture as you keep sautéing. Make sure it doesn’t burn, as this could lead to the rice changing colour. Add boiling water to the rice. Add salt and lime juice at this stage. Stir it well and cover to let it boil and cook. After a few mins open the lid and toss the rice around. Cover and simmer for a few more minutes until all the water has been absorbed.
After around 5-10 mins open the lid and check if the rice is cooked. Switch off the flame.

Preheat oven to 180C.

Remove 2/3rd of the rice out of the pot in a vessel, and add the thin layer of the prawns’ masala around the rice. Smear it over the surface of the rice. Toss in the next third of the rice and spread evenly. Sprinkle some lime juice, garam masala and coriander around the rice. Add another layer of masala followed by the rice. Make sure the masala is not too much or too little. I can’t really tell an exact measure for the amount of masala as it depends on the width of the pan and the thickness of the rice layer. Go by just eyeballing it.

The top and bottom layers will be rice. Sprinkle a layer of coriander, garam masala powder and some lime juice.

With a stick or the back of a wooden spoon, make deep holes in between the rice, and add a small dollop of ghee into the holes. Cover with a tight lid, if not tight enough, add a layer of aluminium foil and cover, top with the lid to ensure no steam escapes.

Bake the biryani pot for around 15- 20 minutes in a preheated oven. Placing it in the oven ensures even cooking and no burning, the perfect dum!

Adding fried onions, fried cashews and raisins will also be good. But I tend to skip it mostly. As this itself is good enough.

Serve hot and enjoy 🙂