Prawn biryani
Nadiya’s biryani is all about the layers. Onions and padron peppers are topped with rice and a layer of tangy, spiced prawns, followed by more rice and a mango salsa. Delicious.
Ingredients
For the rice
- 1kg/2lb 4oz basmati rice
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp turmeric
For the prawn mix
- 6 tbsp vegetable oil
- 5 cardamom pods, crushed
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 100g/3½oz fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 lime, quartered
- 4 tsp tamarind paste
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp ground coriander
- handful coriander stalks, reserving the leaves for the mango salsa
- 450g/1lb raw king prawns, peeled
For the base
- 6 tsp vegetable oil
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 8 padron peppers, pierced
For the salsa
- 1 large mango, peeled and chopped into cubes
- large handful dried chilli, roughly chopped
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 lime, juice only
- handful coriander leaves, finely chopped
Method
Put the rice in a large saucepan, pour in 2.5 litres/4¼ pints cold water, and the salt and turmeric, give it a stir and cook on a high heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn’t stick. Drain, then rinse with cold water and set aside.
Meanwhile, to make the prawn mixture, heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan and add the cardamom pods. When they start to pop, add the onion, cook for 10 minutes, until golden-brown. Add the ginger and cook for 5 minutes, then add the salt, tomatoes and lime and cook for a further 5–10 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down.
Add the tamarind, cinnamon and coriander and cook for another 5 minutes, then add the coriander stalks and prawns and cook until the prawns are just cooked. Remove from the heat and set aside.
To make the base, heat the oil in a wide, lidded saucepan over a high heat. Fry the onions for a couple of minutes, then add the padron peppers and reduce the heat to low. Add half of the cooked rice to the pan, then add the prawn mixture on top in an even layer, follow with the rest of the rice in an even layer. Cover with the lid and cook on the lowest heat for 1 hour.
To make the salsa, place the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
When the rice is completely cooked through, the biriyani is ready. Add the salsa on top and serve big spoonfuls onto plates.
