Ni's Shrimp Biryani

Shrimp Biryani.md

Ni's Shrimp Biryani

This delicious Kerala-style biryani recipe makes 8 servings. This biryani is made with a number of different "sub-recipes" that are baked together in layers, then mixed before serving.

Ingredients

For the marinated shrimp:

• 500g shrimp de-shelled and de-veined (keep the shells to make stock)
• 1/2 cup Yogurt whisked well
• 1 tbsp Kashmiri Red Chilli powder
• ½ tsp Turmeric powder
• 3-4 Green Chillies slit
• 2 tsp Garam Masala powder
• 1 tbsp Garlic Paste
• 3/4 tbsp Ginger Paste
• 1 tsp Coriander powder
• 1 inch Cinnamon stick
• 4 Cardamom pops
• 4 Cloves
• 6 Black peppercorns
• 1/4 tsp Mace, crushed (optional)
• 1/4 tsp fresh Nutmeg, grated
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• Juice of 1 lemon

For the shrimp stock:

• 1 red onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 3 cups water

For the roasted cashews:

• 100-200g raw cashews
• ghee (clarified butter)

Food processor ingredients:

• 2 cups of mint (approx. 1 bunch)
• 1 cup of coriander leaves (approx. 1/2 bunch)
• 3 large tomatoes
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 green chillies
• 1-inch piece of ginger
• 4 large red onions

For the shrimp masala:

• 6tsp garam masala
• 1tsp turmeric powder

Additional ingredients:

• ghee
• neutral cooking oil
• 2 lemons
• 3 cups basmati rice, unrinsed

Directions

1. Marinate the shrimp for 1-1.5 hours with the remaining shrimp masala ingredients.

2. Pre-heat your oven to 400F.

3. To make the shrimp stock:

   • Over medium heat, saute onion, garlic, and the shrimp shells until veggies soften (10-15min)
   • add the rest of the ingredients, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15mins
   • strain the stock before storing in a jar

4. To make the cashews: pan roast with a little bit of ghee. You'll be using them later when you're going to layer the rice and masala.

5. Using a food processor, chop the following into four separate bowls (medium-small dice):

   • (a) mint and coriander
   • (b) tomatoes
   • (c) garlic cloves, green chillies and ginger
   • (d) red onion

6. On medium-high heat, saute the onion (d) in 1.5 tbsp oil and 1.5 tbsp ghee until golden

7. Meanwhile, start boiling enough water in another stockpot to cover 3 cups' worth of basmati rice. Don't add the rice and salt yet; you'll be doing this right before the layering step later.

8. Back to the onions: add the chopped ginger, green chillis and garlic (c), and saute for 3-4 mins till the raw ginger smell goes away

9. Add garam masala and turmeric powder, stirring to coat well

10. Add half of the mint/coriander mix (a), 1.5 cups of the homemade shrimp stock, and all of the tomatoes (b), then saute for 7 mins

11. Add the marinated shrimp and 1 tsp Salt; saute for 4 minutes.

12. Boom, you just made shrimp masala! Take off the heat and set it aside.

13. Back to the boiling water, add 3 tsp Salt and 3 cups of un-rinsed basmati rice. Boil for 5 minutes, then drain immediately (kind of like pasta). This rice is just par-cooked, and will cook through and hydrate further in the oven.

14. As the rice is boiling, slice 12 relatively-thin rounds of lemons (remove seeds). You'll be using this for layering.

15. Now it's time to assemble the biryani. In a 9x13" baking dish, repeat layers of:

    • Par-cooked rice
    • Shrimp masala
    • Remaining mint coriander mix (a)
    • Roasted cashews
    • Lemon slices
    • A little drizzle of ghee

16. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Put it in the oven, reduce to 350F, and bake for 22 minutes.

17. Once done baking, take the dish out of the oven and let it rest for 15 mins.

18. Mix the layers, and Enjoy :)