prawns biryani

How to Make Kerala-style Malabar Prawns Biryani

Prawns are a delight for most seafood lovers. When prawns are marinated in a melange of spices and cooked in the Malabar flavours with rice, that makes for a delicious treat – Malabar Prawn Biryani. This biryani is quite popular in the Southern parts of India for its unique flavour and style of cooking. To know how you can make it at home, continue reading.

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Print Recipe
How to Make Kerala-style Malabar Prawns Biryani
prawns biryani
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings
people
Ingredients
For rice
For marinade
For masala and layers
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings
people
Ingredients
For rice
For marinade
For masala and layers
prawns biryani
Instructions
  1. Soak the washed rice for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, wash the prawns thoroughly and add all the marinade ingredients, mix well and set aside for at least 20 minutes. Soak saffron in warm milk.
  2. Fry the cashews and raisins in some oil until golden brown and set them aside. In the same vessel, add more oil and sliced onions and fry them until brown and crispy. Once you take out the onions, add the marinated prawns into the same oil and fry for about 5-6 minutes. Take out and keep them aside.
  3. Add another couple of tablespoons of oil if needed and then add a couple of tablespoons of ghee. Once the ghee is heated, add ginger-garlic paste and saute for a minute. Then add green chillies, tomatoes, coriander and mint leaves. Saute until the tomatoes turn a little mushy.
  4. Add the powdered spices from the ‘masala and layers’ section, curd, lemon juice and 1/3rd of the fried onions. Stir well and cook for about 2-3 minutes until you get a thick gravy. Now, add the fried prawns and mix well.
  5. In another vessel, boil water and add oil, cardamom, bay leaves, cinnamon, fennel seeds, salt and the soaked rice. Switch off the stove when the rice is 90% cooked. Drain the rice and keep it aside.
  6. Evenly spread the masala gravy in its pot and add a layer of all of the cooked rice. Then add chopped mint-coriander leaves, fried onions, cashews and raisins. Top it off with saffron milk, ghee and sprinkle some garam masala. Cover with a tight-fitting lid on top and cook on low flame for about 20-25 minutes.
  7. Serve hot with raita, papad or pickle.
Recipe Notes

Recipe Tip

To check if the rice is 90% cooked, take a few grains in a spoon and break them into pieces. If the rice breaks without effort, it is done. Avoid overcooking the rice, as that could result in your biryani turning mushy later on.

Share your version of this recipe

Biryani is an age-old delicacy cooked in different ways throughout the country. How do you make biryani at home? Do share your version with us!

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of rice is best for Malabar biryani?

A good quality, long grain basmati rice is always recommended for any biryani.

How to prevent the biryani from burning and sticking at the bottom?

Place a wide skillet or tawa on the stove and then place the biryani pot on top of it. Let it slow cook on a low flame.

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