Shrimp Pulao/Pilaf in Coconut milk!



Shrimp/Prawn Pulao/Pilaf is an easy one pot meal which is decadent enough to be served for a special occasion or to please guest. Whole spices and coconut milk give it a rich flavor. This recipe is devoid of any biryani masala or other spice powders usually used. Its Simplicity in it Tastiest form.

The recipe is mild in heat yet very flavorful. You can increase the heat by adding more green chilies or replacing the deghi mirch with red chili powder.

Serves: 4-5

 Ingredients:
  • Shrimps /prawns – about 40 medium sized, 350 gms, cleaned and de-veined
  • 1 tablespoon Oil
  • 1 tablespoon Clarified Butter/Ghee
  • 2 Green Cardamom
  • 2-3 Cloves
  • 3-4 peppercorns
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 1″ Cinnamon Stick
  • 1/2 inch Ginger
  • 3-4 cloves of Garlic
  • 2 Green Chilies
  • 1 medium onion, finely sliced
  • 1 medium Tomato, chopped
  • Salt – to taste
  • 1/2 tsp deghi mirch/paprika, used for just a mild color.
  • Fresh or dried Mint Leaves – handful, chopped
  • 2 cups Basmati Rice, washed and drained
  • 2 cups Coconut Milk/Cream (I used 70%)
  • 2 cups water



Directions:
  1. Grind ginger, garlic and green chilies to make a paste
  2. Heat oil and ghee in a pressure cooker/ deep saucepan.
  3. Temper with cinnamon stick, bay leaf, green cardamom, peppercorns and cloves and saute till fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  4. Stir in the sliced onions, little salt and saute till the onions are browned nicely.
  5. Add the prepared paste and saute some more.
  6. Now add shrimps and saute till pink.
  7. Stir in the tomatoes, deghi mirch powder, salt and mint leaves and mix well.
  8. Add coconut milk, washed rice and water and mix everything.
  9. If you're making in a pressure cooker, cook till 1 whistle and switch off stove. If making in a saucepan, bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce heat to low medium. Cover and cook for 10-15 mins till rice is cooked and all the liquid has been absorbed. You will have to check in between to make sure the rice doesn't burn at the bottom.
  10. Allow pressure to go down by itself. Open pressure cooker/saucepan and fluff the pilaf with a fork. The grains should be separate and not sticking together.
  11. Serve Shrimp Pilaf hot with some pickle or papad as a side.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chicken Kheema

Image
I had minced chicken meat on hand and usually i would make koftas/meatballs curry. My daughter loves fried koftas so much that once she ate almost all of them even before i had a chance to add them to the gravy. We adults had to only settle for a couple of koftas and loads of plain gravy. But today i had no time for a leisurely dinner. Racing back home from class, I only had 30 mins before dinner time. After wasting 5 more mins on deciding what to make, I finally settled for a street styled but healthy homemade Chicken Kheema. Kheema or spiced mince meat is usually made with lamb or goat meat. But you can try it with any ground meat. This recipe is made with chicken.  Vegetarians can make this with Indian cottage cheese also called as paneer. This a quick finger licking good recipe. You can also stuff it into a bun and make your own version of Indian flavored sloppy joes.  Ingredients: 1/2 pound mince chicken 1 large onion diced finely 1 tomato chopped 2-3 cloves of garlic gr
Read more

Gluten Free Upma

Image
Upma is traditionally made for breakfast in South Indian homes . Its main component is Rava or Cream of wheat. To make this gluten free, i have swapped the Rava for cream of rice or Idli Rava which is easily available at Indian grocery stores. This is a mild tasting but very filling breakfast. You can add more vegetables if you like. Makes: 2 servings Ingredients: 1/2 cup Cream of Rice /Idli Rava 1 1/2 cup water 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds 1/2 cup chopped onions 1 green chili finely chopped 1/2 inch piece ginger finely grated 1/2 cup peas salt to taste 1 tsp. sugar handful of raisins and cashew nuts(optional) Chopped cilantro for garnish 1 tbsp. oil Directions: Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Temper with mustard seeds and let them pop. Add chopped onions and sauté till soft. Add grated ginger and chopped chilies. Add raisins and cashew nuts if using. Add peas and the water. Let it come to a boil. Flavor it with salt and sugar. Add the idli rava and stir
Read more

Gluten Free Chapati/Sorghum Flatbread

Image
Chapati/ Roti/ Poli - Different names for a simple flat-bread made in most Indian homes on a daily basis. Its usually made up of whole wheat which is freshly milled at the local flour mill. The most common carbohydrates consumed in an Indian diet are rice and wheat. Interestingly potatoes and corn are considered more as vegetables than carbs. In fact you can segregate the Indian populations geographically with North India relying heavily on wheat as opposed to South Indians being rice eaters and a whole segment in between who need both rice and the wheat chapatis in each meal. My daughter grew up preferring to eat chapatis even though my husband and I were born rice eaters. All hell broke loose when she was diagnosed with gluten allergy. Meal times became a struggle as she pushed away every meal with rice. Desperately i searched the internet for help. I tried many different mixes with starches and gums added but I still wasn't getting the soft pliable texture of a chapa
Read more