Description
Eral Biryani is one of my favourite dish and there are quite a few ways of making it. Cooking seafood with a tinge of coconut has been a family tradition and this one is no exception. Making this with fresh baby prawns would be awesome but quite hard to find small shrimp or prawn around my place and ended up making with jumbo shrimps to satisfy my palatte. This mild flavoured biryani requires minimal work and comes in handy for a quick non-veg treat.
Shrimp Briyani / Prawn Briyani / Prawn Biryani / Eral Biryani / Eral Briyani / Era Biryani / Era Briyani
| Ingredients | |
|---|---|
| 10 nos | Shrimp |
| 2 nos | Onion (cut lengthwise thinly) |
| 1 no | Tomato (diced) |
| 3 nos | Green chili (small) |
| 6 nos | Dry mint leaves |
| 5 stks | Coriander leaves (for tempering) |
| ½ tsp | Ginger garlic paste |
| ¼ tsp | Red chili powder |
| ¼ tsp | Turmeric powder |
| 1 tsp | Coriander /dhania powder |
| 1 tsp | Salt (or to taste) |
| 1 tsp | Ghee |
| 3 tsp | Oil |
| 6 stks | Coriander leaves (for garnishing) |
| 2 cup | Basmati rice |
| 1 no | Bay leaf |
| 3 nos | Cloves |
| 2 nos | Cinnamon stick (small) |
| 2 nos | Cardamom |
| 2 nos | Choice of any other unique spice) |
| 1 tsp | Fennel seeds (perum serakam) |
| 2 cup | Coconut milk |
| 2 cup | Water |
Instructions
Clean the shrimp, wash in cold water and set aside. Cut the onions lengthwise, dice the tomatoes and slit open the green chilies. Dilute coconut milk (if using store bought cans). If making at home… ground some coconut to a thick paste like consistency and mix them in hot water, squeeze out the milk.
Now take a sauce pan, heat oil and ghee, add all the whole masalas(bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise and fennel seeds) one by one and let them sizzle for a while. Add the mint leaves and coriander set aside for tempering and let them become crispy. Add the onions and green chilies and fry till translucent, followed by the ginger garlic paste, tomatoes and shrimp pieces. Cover and cook over medium flame for 5 minutes to cook the shrimp thoroughly. Now add the turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and salt. Fry till the masala leaves the sides as shown in the picuture. Switch off.
Wash basmati rice add 2 cups water, 2 cups coconut milk, the cooked masala and let it soak for 5 minutes. Now pop it in the rice cooker and let it cook. When done and if its ok with you, add few drops of ghee and garnish with coriander leaves. Do not disturb by stirring harshly, this would break the rice. Slowly scoop with a slotted spoon and spread over a plate or bowl and cool. When its cooled to some extent, mix gently, check for salt and add garnishes which you prefer. Serve with boiled eggs and raita.
Notes
Basmati Rice used — Royal Basmati from Sams club. Soak just for 5 minutes. Try swad, tilda theya re equally good too.
For 2 cups rice its 4 cups water for fluffy and fully cooked rice. Here in this recipe for 2 cups rice I’ve added 2 cups water and 2 cups coconut milk. If you prefer the rice to be lightly chewy then use only 3 1/2 cups of water and coconut milk.
If using a regular pressure cooker use the proportion which you are comfortable with, as its varies with the quality of rice used and pressure cooker.
You can also substitute coconut milk with diluted curd / butter milk.
Due to non-availability of fresh mint leaves I’ve used dry, you can use fresh leaves too.
Choice of unique spice– the spice showed in picture I guess is nagasungu but net shows it as val milagu(puzzled and still exploring) pretty sure that they use it for biryani and included. You may also use star anise, jathi poo and pinch of nut meg. This step is purely optional.
Serves 4 approx.
How to clean shrimp
1. To remove the shell from the shrimp, first hold onto the tail while gently removing the shell around the body, then the tail can be detached completely by just pulling it.
2. After this, the vein has to be removed, make a shallow cut lengthwise down the outer curve of the shrimp’s body using a paring knife, pick out the dark ribbon-like vein running lengthwise along the shrimp’s back.
3. Then rinse the shrimp in cold water and keep them iced or cook them off.
24 Comments
Hello Mam,
I am working in Saudi. I am cooking for myself and my cousin since one year. I am cooking well only with the help this website. I haven’t refer to any other sources so far as yours are complete book for tasty cooking. I miss my mom very much but never miss my home-taste dishes with help of your fine recipes. I tried shrimp briyani today, it came out as taste as my mom cooking.
Trillions of Thanks for your service.
Nice Regards,
Farook, KSA
Mullai, i just have one doubt. The cup measurement u are referring is the rice cooker cup or the normal azhaku which we use in india???
Jayanthi, its the regular 8 ounce measuring cups. Azhaku is slightly bigger, rice cooker cups yield little less than regular measuring cup. This recipe will work for both regular and rice cooker cup. Make sure you use the same cup for rice and liquid measure. Hope this helps. Thanks.
Mullai akka,
When to mix the rice and the masala? Yenaku purile..
Priya, washed basmati, cooked masala and coconut milk all goes into the rice cooker at the same time. Check for salt and close the cooker. Thanks.
Thank you so much! I made this yesterday and it was lovely. I did not have coconut milk at home so had to use some yogurt instead. It was so tasty and my first go at makign it.
I did a few extra things:
Put a tiny bit of garam masala
fried onions and put then on the top after the biriyani was cooked
also sliced boiled egg and places it on top
It is a wonderful dish and I look forward to making more of your recipes
Hi. am making this today. One question, you have your measure ments in cups but all sizes are differnt, can I have a more exact measurement? also do I have to use coconut milk, will plain yogurt do?
many thanks!
hai mullai,
thank u for giving all of us such a gud recipes….re recipes r really helping us to cook fantastic….
and shrimp biryani was out of the world…..i tried it came out really gud…
keep up ur gud work mullai…..thank again…
regards,padma.
Padma, you deserve a pat for preparing it perfect. Thanks for your feedback.
thank u for patting me…….but u deserve all those pats for ur self……coz of u, i'm getting pat from other people…..
all the complements goes only to u…..
keep up ur gud work……
regards,padma…..
i made it yesterday for dinner. it came out v.good. my kids just loved it. thank you.
Hi Mullai,
I have become a big fan of ur receipes! Dey are soo similar to my mom’s!
Apart from PAchadis or Raita as side dish for Biriyanis, can u suggest what else will go well for Erra Biriyani??
Awaiting ur answer! Thanx a Tonne!
Peace Alwayz,
Jaysri
Jayasri, any kind of mild kurma (veg or non veg) will suit era biryani. Thanks.
Mullai
Tried again for lunch today, exactly same way, did with baby prawns and homemade cocunut milk. It came out so well. Thanks
Jaya
hi mullai i tried this yesterday it was excellent,but it was sticky littlebit.can u tell me why,.since iam going to prepare it for office party tomorrow.
Radhika,
Did you pressure cook it ??? Rice and water could be the two possibilites. Try with the brand which you are ok with, electric rice cooker helps, less soaking time preferred.
hi sis mullai, mom made it for dinner, it was superb. after finishing my dinr i came to say thanks.
Perfect Mullai, It came out perfect this afternoon. Was my second try. First time I think i used a bit more of Coconut milk than i should have. Today it was just perfect. Prawn Biryani vairaiyum manasaiyum nirappidichu. Thanks so much.
Deepa
Hi
I do this the same way but without coconut milk, but has used Yogurt , let me try this tonight with Cocconut Milk and will let you know. I guess it goes well with boiled eggs and Raidha just like any other Biriyani..
regs
Jaya
Guess what, before mixing the prawn to rice i would have finished it. we make curries like this – very thick….But with coconut milk too… Mouthwatering…
I am making this for lunch today. Thank you for such a grt recipe b’cos have been waiting for prawn briyani for long time.
i think its easy to prepare .i will try and let u know.
ok not bad