Prawn Briyani - Cooking with Hexa by Sapna Anand

asi Briyani, or sometimes spelled Biryani, Biriyani or Biriani is a kind of mixed rice dish from the Indian Subcontinent. The ingredients to prepare this dish are spices, rice and meat or vegetables.

If you were to dined out for a decent dish of Briyani in a restaurant, it would definitely cost you a fortune. The only way to get an awesome dish of Briyani without having to spend too much would be cooking it yourself. This Prawn Briyani is a home recipe passed down by our Chef Sapna’s grandmother to her. She have simplified the recipe even more by using HEXA’s Briyani Powder. Therefore, you just have to follow the simple steps and the delicious Prawn Briyani could be prepared in less than an hour!

Ingredients:
For the rice:
300g of basmati rice
1 tbsp ghee
1 bay leaf
6 cardamom pod(slightly open)
1 star anise
1 mace
6 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
4 cups of water
For the prawn:
Spice paste blend:
3 large onions
1 inch of ginger
3 cloves of garlic
2 dry red chili
½ cup of water
2 tbsp HEXA Briyani Powder
½ tsp HEXA Turmeric Powder
HEXA Rock Salt to taste
Prawn gravy:
250g large prawns, peeled, tail left on and deveined
1 large tomato, diced
⅓ cup of water
2 sprigs curry leaves
2 tbsp ghee
⅓ cup of coconut milk
For garnishing:
A handful of coriander leaves

Method:
For the Rice:
Rinse and soak 300g of basmati rice in water for 30 minutes.
Drain rice and set aside.
In a heavy bottom deep pot, heat ghee on low heat, ensure it’s not smoking hot.
Add in 1 bay leaf, 6 cardamom pod(slightly open), 1 star anise, 1 mace, 6 cloves and 1 cinnamon stick, sauté for about 10 seconds.
Add in the drained rice and stir well to coat in ghee for 1 minute.
Add 4 cups of water and bring it to a boil, cover and cook on low heat for approximately 7-10 mins or till all the liquid has evaporated with lid on.
Fluff the rice with fork and set aside.
For Prawn gravy:
Add 3 large onions, 1 inch of ginger, 3 cloves of garlic, 2 dry red chili and ½ cup of water in a blender and blend it into a thick, fine paste.
Then, mix the paste with 2 tbsp HEXA Briyani Powder, ½ tsp HEXA Turmeric Powder and HEXA Rock Salt according to taste.
Heat a pan, toss the paste along with diced tomato and ⅓ cup of water.
Cook covered for about 10 mins on medium heat.
Take lid off, add the prawns and continue to cook until sauce thickens and coats prawns .
Add 2 sprigs curry leaves and 2 tbsp ghee, cook again until sauce thickens, oil starts to come from the edges and gets a deep colour. It is important to ensure sauce is cooked well.
Add ⅓ cup of coconut milk, bring to a light boil and set aside.
Assembly:
In a pot, add a portion of the cooked prawn gravy.
Over the gravy spread a portion of the cooked basmati rice.
Before serving gently mix the layers of prawn briyani, top it up with prawn gravy and garnish with coriander leaves.