Hyderabadi Shrimp Dum Ka Biryani/Prawns Dum Ka Biryani

Dum Biryani is a special dish prepared with meat/shrimp/fish/chicken marinated with spices and yogurt and is layered with this marinated at the bottom of the cooking pot and a layer of half cooked basmati rice places over it. And the vessel is sealed tightly to allow cooking in its own steam (i.e. dum). Once the biryani is done when you open the seal, a delicious fragrance comes all over.

Preparing this dum biryani is a laborious process, it requires attention time to time to avoid over cooking of rice, but the output pays off.

I am married for 2 years and I never tried dum biryani, because it is a time taking process. But recently I learnt a little easy way to prepare this dish from my brother. Ever since I prepare this dum biryani quiet often. (May be that’s the reason my hubby started hitting the gym of late :))

Today for lunch prepared this yummylicious Shrimp Dum Biryani which is prepared by marinating prawns/shrimp with spices, curd, egg for 2-3 hrs, and partially (3/4) cooked basmati rice are layered along with mint leaves, saffron colored milk, caramelized onions and cooked on dum in an oven.

Ingredients:

For marination

Shrimp peeled and washed – ¾ - 1 lb

Egg – 1 no

Red Chilli powder – 1 - 1 ½ tsp

Thick Curd – 2 tsps

Turmeric powder a pinch

Cloves – 3 no

Mint leaves – ¼ cup

Cinnamon stick – ¾ ‘’ inch

Elachi/Cardamom – 2 no

Pepper corns – 3 no

Shrimp masala powder (I used Shan masala) – 2 tsps

Garam masala – 1 tsp

Ginger garlic paste – 1 ½ tsp

Salt

For Cooking Basmati Rice

Basmati Rice – 2 cups wash and soak for 2-3 hrs

Cloves – 3

Cardamoms – 2 no

Cinnamon stick – ½ ‘’ inch

Black Cardamom – 2 no

Bay leaves – 3 no

Marathi mogga – ½

Star anise – 1 no

Butter – 2 tsps

Salt

Water – 3 1/2 cups

Other Ingredients for layering

Onions – 1 no finely sliced

Oil – 1 tsp for frying onions

Butter – for greasing the over vessel

Saffron color – a pinch

Mint leaves – ¼ cup

Luke warm milk – ¼ cup

Biryani masala – ½ tsp

Preparation

• Marinate Shrimp with all the ingredients in Marinate Section and keep aside for 3 hours or a minimum of 1 hour.
• Soak basmati rice for 2 hours.
• Prepare fried onions either deep fry onions in oil or just take very little oil in a pan and fry till there turn golden brown color. I opted for second option.
• Remove and keep them aside.
• After two hours boil basmati rice in a rice cooker with all biryani spices in Section Cooking Basmati Rice and also add 2-3 drops of lemon juice while boiling, cook till the rice is ¾ cooked.
• Once the basmati rice is cooked, strain extra water from rice and keep aside.
• Add the saffron color to luke warm milk and combine well and keep aside.
• Take a flat oven safe vessel to prepare biryani. Grease with butter.
• Now place the marinated shrimp mixture and spread out over the vessel.

• Next spread half of the cooked rice over shrimp layer add half of the caramelized onions, mint leaves, ½ tsp biryani masala and spread over the rice,
• Now sprinkle the saffron milk over the rice.
• Over this layer spread the remaining rice. Again add remaining caramelized onions, mint leaves and spread over the rice.
• Finally sprinkle a tsp of saffron colored milk over the rice.
• Preheat oven to 400 F.
• Take aluminum foil and seal the edges of the vessel very tightly and bake for 40-45 minutes.
• After 5 minutes, remove foil and combine gently and serve hot with raita or biryani curry.

Sending this alone with Kheema Balls Biryani

to Royal Feast Biryani hosted by Reva