Prawn biryani and sweet yoghurt raita

Speed up your biryani cook time by using a quick-cooking protein like prawns. A sweet yoghurt raita on the side provides a refreshing creamy contrast to the complex and bold flavours of the spiced biryani.

Prawn biryani and sweet yoghurt raita Credit: Kitti Gould

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Stream free On Demand

Communal Table

Watch The Full Episode Here

PG

Watch The Full Episode Here

PG

Ingredients

• 450 g basmati rice
• salt and black pepper
• 300 g prawns, peeled, deveined
• 2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 5 cloves
• 10 cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 3 cm x 4 cm piece ginger, finely grated
• 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 2 green Indian chillies, halved
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 tbsp sour cream
• ½ medium bunch coriander
• 4 sprigs mint

Sweet yoghurt raita

• 200 g yoghurt
• 3 tbsp water
• sugar, to taste
• salt, to taste
• 2 Lebanese cucumbers, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted
• 2 sprigs coriander

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, parboil the basmati rice with salt, until rice is 80% cooked. Drain and set aside.
2. Combine the prawns with the chilli powder and turmeric in a medium bowl. Marinate for 10-15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180˚C.
3. In a large frying pan, add the ghee, whole spices and the onion. Cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes, or until the onions are slightly browned. Add the ginger, garlic and green chillies and stir well to combine. Add the prawns, tomato paste and sour cream and season with salt and pepper. When the prawns are half-cooked, remove from the heat.
4. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Layer the tray with the rice, prawn mixture, coriander and mint. Repeat for three layers, finishing with the rice. Cover the tray with foil and bake for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, make the raita. In a medium bowl, combine the yoghurt with the water, adding sugar and salt to taste. Stir through the finely chopped cucumber and garnish with cumin seeds and fresh coriander. Serve the prawn biryani with the sweet yoghurt raita.

Photography by Kitti Gould.

Want more from The Cook Up?

• Stream free here at SBS On Demand.

• Get the show recipes, articles and more here.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Communal Table

Watch The Full Episode Here

PG

Watch The Full Episode Here

PG