This Prawn Pilau Biryani is of the quickest recipes I have worked with to date. But don't you dare think the minimal cook times makes this a 'mediocre' meal. The cook time to flavour ratio is INCREDIBLE.
To be honest, for flavour like this I would be willing to slave over the stove for an hour. But for this recipe, you won't need to. This dish will take you from start to finish 30 minutes.
Yes.
Alright, maybe I sound like I am over-exaggerating slightly but let me explain. I am a massive fan of prawns (and seafood in general). At my mum's house, we didn't have seafood very often and my mum tells me she's only ever cooked prawns once in her life. Now, I always try to cook some form of seafood once or twice a week. I often rely on them for quick and easy meals and always always always reserve at least one seafood dish for dinner parties as it's something I can whip up even after the guests have arrived and I can serve it fresh off the hob. I am so looking forward to serving this at my next dinner party!
Let me tell you the story of how this recipe was born. (You may scroll down for the recipe if you don't want to hear any of it. To be honest, I don't blame you - this recipe NEEDS to be in your life and the sooner the better!)
It had been a week down and I had been feeling lethargic and groggy with a non-existent appetite to boot. I also had my University exams coming up and knew I needed the energy to sustain me through my study sessions, but without an appetite I wasn't able to get any food into my system. My husband had been trying to coax me into eating by bringing home appealing foods and enough chocolate feed a small village - but all to minimal avail.
Then one afternoon, as I was studying, I felt the first kick of hunger. Yessssssssssss! About time! Then the second. Yesss! I can eat now! Then the third and then the kicks began to remind me of a growling tiger about to pounce. But it had been so long that I hadn't eaten that I wanted to eat something absolutely amazing, something that would satisfy me and my empty stomach deep down and thoroughly. So I stopped to listen to my body and asked myself 'what exactly do I want to eat?'. The response was so abrupt and immediate that it actually surprised me. My body quite adamantly responded 'Prawns or rice. Or both'.
And so this recipe was born.
I wasn't really sure what I was doing and whether making a masala was a good idea for rice since I've never done so. Plus I had never cooked prawns in rice so this was also something new to me. All in all, it was a lot of firsts however I was positively surprised with the results! They were so good that the recipe didn't need any tweaks - it was blog-worthy on it's first trial!
I've named it 'Prawn Pilau Biryani' because it's a cross between a Pilau and Biryani, but isn't either one of them. Biryani requires you to make a masala using onions, tomatoes, garlic and ginger like this recipe, however Biryani is also rather spicy. On the other hand, no spice is generally added to a Pilau but there is no masala.
Enjoy this dish on it's own because it's just that amazing! Or if you want, this would pair well with a chutney of your choice or fish.
📋 Recipe
Prawn Pilau Biryani Rice
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon (45 ml) oil
- 1 (150 g) large onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch ginger minced
- 1 medium stick whole cinnamon
- 3 (370 g) medium tomatoes very finely diced
- 2 cups (400 g) basmati rice (washed and soaked for at least 30 minutes before using)
- 12 oz (350 g) raw king prawns
- 3 cups/750ml water (IMPORTANT: please read notes if you are changing the serving size)
- 3 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon black pepper coarsely ground is best
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pot and add the onions, cinnamon, garlic and ginger. Sauté till golden brown.
- Add the tomatoes and spices and a splash of water. Cook till the tomatoes break down into a soft mix.
- Add the rice, prawns and water. Bring to a boil.
- Once at a boil, allow the rice and all the ingredients to cook together.
- After 10 minutes, 90% of the water will have evaporated. Cover and bring the heat to the lowest setting. Allow this to steam for 12-15 minutes.
- Fluff up before serving..
Notes
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Amina
Wonderful recipe, simple to make, flavorful and aromatic like you’ve been working at it all day!
Amina
Salaam everyone! I have to say, this dish really was simple to make and tasted delicious, like I had been working at it all day! Thank you Fatima for inspiring it. I modified it slightly, using two tilapia fillets instead of prawns. I also added a tad bit more spice with red pepper flakes and a bit of red chili powder. I also added zeera to the masala! The fish came out moist and the rice were aromatic and flavorful. Still working on getting my rice to “dhum” properly and getting the perfect fluffiness that isn’t sticky or “wet”. Thank you sister, Fatima!!!
Fatima
Thank you for sharing your experience, I am so happy you enjoyed it! <3
Hasan Ali
Hello. Do you wash the rice as well?
Fatima
Hi. Yes!
Zed
Could I substitute baby prawns for the king prawns?
Fatima
Yes absolutely
Tazmin
Salaam sister how much cinnamon?
Fatima
Salam sister, I just realised I havent written cinnamon in the ingredients - silly me! You want one medium sized stick, about the size of your little finger x
This Muslim Girl Bakes
if only I ate prawns, I would be making this asap. it looks so good, masha allah! 🙂
Fatima
Jazakillah khayr! Very few people in my family like prawns, including my husband! I still manage to get them onto the dinner table though 😉