Prawn Pulao

          Prawn Pulao is an easy and a delicious one-pot meal that can be dished out in a jiffy. It is a combination of prawns, rice, saffron milk and all the other essential spices. In this version of mine, I added some potatoes too, for a wholesome meal to be relished with raita. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

• 1 cup Basmati rice, soaked in water for 30 minutes
• 250 gms. prawns, deveined & cleaned
• 1 potato, cubed
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 2 tbsp. ghee or as preferred
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 2" cinnamon stick
• 3-4 green cardamoms
• 6-7 cloves
• 2 star anise
• 2 pathar ke phool
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp. garlic, sliced
• 1 tbsp. ginger, sliced
• 3-4 green chilies, slit
• 1 cup milk 
• 1/2 cup water
• a pinch of saffron
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. garam masala powder
• 1 tsp. coriander powder
• 1 tsp. cumin powder
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• handful of coriander-mint leaves
• 2 tbsp. fried onions

          Soak the saffron in the milk and keep aside. Marinate the potatoes & prawns separately with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder for 10 minutes. 

          Heat 2 tbsp. oil & fry the potatoes and prawns separately till light brown. Drain them and keep aside.

          Add the ghee to the pan and temper with cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves, bay leaves, star anise and pathar ke phool.

          Saute for a few seconds and then add the onions, garlic, ginger and green chilies. Fry on a medium flame till light brown.

          Now add all the dry spices (except salt) and saute well. Add the rice and continue to stir fry for 2 minutes.

          Then add the fried potatoes, fried prawns, saffron milk, water, fried onions, salt and chopped coriander-mint leaves.

          Transfer to a vessel and pressure cook for 2 whistles. When it cools down a little, fluff it up with a fork and serve with raita.







Note - 
1. You can directly do in a pressure cooker. As the quantity of rice was less and my cooker was too large, I preferred to cook in a vessel.

                 Marinate potatoes & prawns separately with a pinch of salt & turmeric 
                 powder for 10 min. Heat 2 tbsp. oil & fry potatoes & prawns separately
                 till light brown. Drain them & keep aside. 

                 Add ghee & temper with cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves, bay leaves, star anise
                 & pathar ke phool.

                   Sauté few seconds & add onion, garlic, ginger & green chilies. Fry on 
                   medium flame till light brown.

                                Add all the dry spices (except salt) & sauté well. 

                                Add rice & continue to stir fry for 2 minutes.

                                 Transfer to a vessel.

                                 Add fried potatoes, fried prawns, saffron milk, water.....

                                 Also add fried onions, salt & chopped coriander-mint leaves.

                                  Pressure cook for 2 whistles. 

                                 When it cools down a little, fluff it up with a fork.

                                 Serve with raita.