Prawn and Cardamon Biryani with Cucumber & Mint Raita

DIFFICULTY
Average Average
COOK TIME
Under 1 hr. Under 1 hr.
SERVES
2-4 2-4
Prawn and Cardamon Biryani with Cucumber & Mint Raita
Main INGREDIENTS
  • Fish & Seafood
FOR THIS RECIPE WE LOVE TO USE
Cast Iron Oval Casserole
£425.00
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Cast Iron Oval Casserole
Ingredients
Method

Ingredients

Prawns
  • 500g (1lb 2oz) peeled raw prawns
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon chilli powder or cayenne pepper
  • 3 garlic cloves- crushed
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
Rice
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil, ghee, or sunflower oil
  • 1 large onion- finely chopped
  • 5cm (2 inch) piece peeled fresh ginger- finely grated
  • ½ teaspoon cardamom seeds (not pods)
  • 1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
  • 2x7.5cm (3 inch) cinnamon sticks
  • 8 cloves
  • 3 tablespoons coconut-based curry paste
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 400g (14oz) white basmati rice
  • 700ml (1 pint 3 ½ floz) chicken stock
  • 4 fresh bay leaves or 12 fresh curry leaves
  • 400g (14oz) vine tomatoes- skinned, seeded and diced
  • 100g (4oz) roasted salted cashew nuts

  • Method

  • 1
    Preheat the oven to 200°c/ 400°F/ Gas Mark 6.
  • 2
    Mix the prawns in a bowl with the spices, garlic, salt and pepper and set to one side.
  • 3
    For the rice: heat the oil in the casserole over a medium heat. Add the onion, ginger, cardamom seeds, mustard seeds, cinnamon sticks and cloves and fry for 5 minutes until the onion is soft. Stir in the curry paste and turmeric and fry for 2-3 minutes more. Add the rice, stock, bay leaves or curry leaves and ½ teaspoon of salt and bring to the boil. Stir once to make sure none of the rice is stuck to the base of the casserole, cover with the lid and cook for 1 minute over a high heat to build up a head of stem. Transfer the casserole to the oven and cook for 15 minutes.
  • 4
    Meanwhile, for the raita, peel the cucumber, halve it lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Finely dice the flesh, toss it together with ½ teaspoon of salt and set it aside in a sieve to drain for 10 minutes. Dry it well on kitchen paper and mix with the remaining ingredients and a little more salt to taste.
  • 5
    Remove the rice from the oven, uncover the casserole and fluff up the rice into separate grains with a fork. Stir through the diced tomatoes, cover with the lid and set aside to warm them through while you cook the prawns.
  • 6
    Heat a non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Add the marinated prawns and stir-fry for 3 minutes until just cooked through. Uncover the rice and gently stir through the prawns, three-quarters of the chopped mint, coriander, and the cashew nuts. Scatter the rest of the mint leaves and cashew nuts over the top of the biryani and serve with the cucumber and mint raita.
  • 7
    Cook's Notes
  • 8
    To de-vein peeled prawns, run a small, sharp knife down the back of each one, only just cutting through the skin. Lift up and peel away the thin black vein.
  • 9
    A spice grinder is simply a coffee bean grinder, reserved for spices. Freshly grinding spices will give you a better flavour but you can use ready-ground if you wish.
  • 10
    There are many good curry pastes on the market today. Choose one which is not too chilli-hot and which has lots of coconut in the mix.