Prawn Biryani

Jump to Recipe

A step by step method to get flavorful and delicious prawn biryani, with easy to find ingredients and a simple process. An absolutely show stopping dish!

What is prawn biryani?

Biryani is a delicious dish made from layering rice with a mixture of yogurt and spice marinated meat, chicken or prawns.

In this case, I used prawns and the combination of the yogurt and ginger garlic marinated prawns with the rice was fantastic. I absolutely loved the recipe! Biryani made with prawns is definitely a combination you should try.

What makes this easy prawn biryani recipe so good?

The fact that it’s easy! I simplified the steps as clearly as I could. I myself was overwhelmed researching different methods of biryani, with some recipes having very convoluted steps. This recipe brings it down to basics it so that biryani can be part of a regular weeknight meal rotation.

The recipe I ended up adapting, is from Indian Healthy Recipes. It seemed like the simplest to follow, and I changed it up based on my preferences.

Even though it’s easy, this biryani recipe is so packed with flavor that it makes for a really special meal. Perfect for an occasion or when you have people over.

I used ingredients that are very accessible, with spices simplified into easy to find ones. Instead of making a homemade biryani spice blend, I used a ready made blend and enhanced it with a few more spices.

The spice level is also moderate, so this is kid friendly as well. My kids actually asked for a second plate each!

What are the ingredients in prawn biryani?

For the rice:

What kind of rice to use for prawn biryani? Basmati rice is the way to go. You need basmati rice, a bay leaf, and a few cardamom pods to flavor the rice.

To marinate the prawns:

Prawns: small or large are fine, you’ll just need to adjust cooking time according to size. You need 300 g after cleaning (about 12 ounces)

Yogurt: A very traditional component of a marinate for biryani. You can use plain or Greek yogurt, you only need 1/3 cup.

How to make ginger garlic paste:

Ginger Garlic Paste: This can be store bought, but it’s so easy to make at home. You need to blend together an equal amount of peeled sliced ginger and garlic cloves with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil or so until a paste forms. I used 60 grams each of ginger and garlic.

I have a whole blog post on this, if you want to check it out!

I had plenty left over, which I stored in the fridge. Leftovers can be stored for 2-3 weeks in the fridge or frozen for up to 6 months

Spices: A mix of biryani masala spice, turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt. Keep in mind red chili powder isn’t the same as cayenne pepper which would add a lot of heat!

For the biryani gravy:

First, I’d prepare the onions, then proceed with the rest of the ingredients.

How to caramelize onions for biryani:

First, start with a heavy bottomed pan so that the onions won’t burn. Heat some vegetable oil- enough to coat the bottom of the pan. The pan should be on medium high heat.

Add some thinly sliced onions once the oil is hot. (I used a yellow onion, but this will work with any color onion). Stir occasionally and let the onion sizzle and change color.

Keep cooking until onions turn dark golden brown, watching carefully so onions don’t burnt.

Besides caramlized onions, the other ingredients you need are:

Whole spices: bay leaves, cardamom pods, cloves

Spice powders: cumin powder, cinnamon, biryani masala powder, red chili powder, salt and pepper to taste

Diced tomatoes with sauce: A can of diced tomatoes with all the liquid thrown in too

Fresh herbs: chopped fresh mint and coriander

How to make prawn biryani:

Since biryani is a layer of cooked rice and a prawn biryani gravy, theres a few steps involved to getting this layering.

Cook the rice:

First step is to cook the rice. To properly cook basmati rice, you want to rinse it well, soak for 30 minutes, then rinse again well. This will get rid of any extra starchiness so that the riee is firm and each grain defined, as opposed to mushy.

The ratio of rice to water is about 1.5 cups rice to 3 cups of water. Basically, you want the water to cover the rice by about an inch.

Boil the water with the aromatics (the bay leaf and cardamom pods) then once it comes to a boil, add the rinsed and drained rice, boil, then cover with a tight fitting lid and reduce heat to a low simmer.

Cook for 15-20 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Let stand for about 5 minutes off the heat.

To marinate the prawns:

While your rice is soaking, you might take that opportunity to marinate the prawns. Basically stir together the prawns with all the marination ingredients (yogurt, ginger garlic paste, spices). Cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

To make the biryani gravy:

Heat oil in a large skillet. Fry the bay leaves, cardamom pods and cloves for 10 seconds, then add ginger garlic paste and fry for another 30 seconds. Add the diced tomatoes and all the dry spices and fresh herbs. Simmer, taste for seasoning. Add the prawns and caramelized onions back in and simmer for another few minutes until prawns have cooked through. Set aside, that’s your biryani gravy ready for assembling!

Assemble the biryani for the final step:

Lightly oil the bottom of a large pot. Layer half the cooked rice, followed by all the prawn biryani gravy, then the second half of rice. I added a handful of rice to the pot I prepared the prawn gravy in and mixed it to get a nice color, then added it on top of the second half of the rice.

Cover this pot tightly with foil or a very tight fitting lid, and put on low heat for 15-20 minutes to steam, infusing the whole biryani with flavor. Remove from heat, let rest for 15 minutes, then transfer to a serving plate and enjoy!

What to serve biryani with?

Traditionally, raita is a great choice- a yogurt and cucumber salad. You could also serve with plain yogurt or a very simple green salad.

You can also make simple naan bread for a really delicious side.

Easy Prawn Biryani by everylittlecrumb on Jumprope.

If you liked this recipe, you might like:

Easy Homemade Naan

Vegan Cauliflower Curry

Persian Saffron Chicken and Rice

Garlic Honey Prawns

Did you make this? Tag @everylittlecrumb or hashtag #everylittlecrumb and I’ll share your images!

Pin for later!