Prawns Biryani

Ingredients

For the rice:
Basmati rice - 3 cups
Water - 6 cups
Cardamom & clove - 6 each
Cinnamon - 1 medium size stick
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Lemon Juice - 3-4tbsp
Salt

For the masala
Prawns - ½ kg
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Chilli powder - ½ tbsp
Pepper powder - ½ tsp
Onions - 3, chopped finely
Green chilli -5-6
Tomato - 2-3, chopped finely
Coconut - 1 handful
Coriander leaves - 1 handful
Curd - ½ cup
Cashews - 6-8 (soaked in 2 tbsp water),
Garam masala - 1 tsp

For garnishing
Cashews & raisins - 1 handful each
Onion - 1 medium, sliced finely
Coriander leaves
Ghee - 1 tbsp

Instructions
Rice preparation:
Wash and soak the rice in water for 25 minutes. Drain the water completely. Boil 6 cups water with half the quantity of whole masala & keep it aside. Heat ghee in a vessel/pan, splutter the remaining whole masala and add the rice. Fry the rice for around 5-7 minutes or until the rice starts cracking. Add the boiled water, lemon juice & salt. Cook till the rice is done and water is completely dried. Spread the rice in a tray & keep aside

Masala preparation

Marinate the prawns with 1 tbsp of ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder, pepper powder and salt and keep it for 2-3 hours in the fridge. Meanwhile grind together a handful of coconut & coriander leaves with a little water & keep it aside. Also grind the soaked cashews into a smooth paste.
Shallow fry the marinated prawns after the specified time. Once the prawns are fried, keep it aside and use the same oil to cook onions, remaining ginger garlic paste (1 tbsp) and green chilli. Once onions are fried well, add chopped tomatoes. Once the tomatoes are cooked, add curd, coconut, coriander leaves paste. Once it boils add fried prawns and cook in low flame for 5-6 minutes. Add the cashew paste & 1 tsp of garam masala. Mix well. Cook for 2 more minutes & remove from fire.
Heat ghee in a pan and fry the cashews & raisins. Remove them from the pan & in the remaining ghee fry the onions till it becomes golden brown. Drain the excess ghee in a paper towel & keep it aside.

Layering the Biriyani

Preheat the oven to 180 degree 10 minutes before baking the biriyani. Apply some ghee to a baking dish. Put one layer of masala in the dish. On top of that spread some rice and make another layer. Again spread another layer of masala on top of the rice. Repeat the process until the masala and rice is finished. The top layer should be of rice. You can drizzle ghee & sprinkle coriander leaves in between the layers. Cover the dish with a wet cloth. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.