BENGALI STYLE PRAWN PULAO

Ingredients

For Prawn marinade

• 350 gm Banana Prawn – or 15 pieces medium size prawn ~ peeled and deveined
• 2 tsp Ginger – Green chilli paste
• ½ tsp Red Chilli powder
• ¼ tsp Bengali Gorom moshla
• Salt to taste

For the rice

• 350 gm Short Grain Rice (Gobindo bhog or Kalijeera) – or 1½ cup
• 3 cups Boiling water
• 1½ tbsp Ginger and green chilli paste
• 1 large Red onion – or about 200 gm – sliced
• 10 gm Raisins – or 1 tbsp
• 10 gm Cashews – or 10 pieces
• 2 Bay leaves
• 3 Green cardamons
• 6 cm Cinnamon barks
• 8-10 strands Saffron
• 2 tbsp Milk – warm
• ⅛ tsp Nutmeg powder
• ½ tsp Sugar
• Salt to taste – I added 1 ½ tsp
• 3 tbsp Ghee
• ¼ cup White Oil
• 4-5 Green Chillies – slit

Instructions

Prep work

1. Wash the rice a couple of times and then soak it in the water for at least half an hour. Then drain the rice on a sieve.
2. Soak the saffron in warm milk for at least 15 mins.
3. Put the ginger and green chillies into the blender, pour water and try to make a smooth paste.
4. Take peeled, washed prawns in a shallow bowl add ginger-green chilli paste, red chilli powder, Gorom moshla powder and salt to taste. Mix everything well and let the prawns marinate for 15 minutes.
5. Take the rice in a mixing bowl, add 1 tbsp of ghee, ginger-green chilli paste, nutmeg powder and salt to taste. Mix everything well, cover with a lid.

Cook

1. Take a heavy-duty cooking pot with a lid, set the pot over medium heat and pour about 2 tbsp of oil.
2. Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to low, add 1tbsp spoon of ghee.
3. Add cashews in the oil and fry over medium heat for a minute to develop a golden colour, then with a help of a slotted spoon remove from the oil.
4. Next, add marinated prawns, fry for one or two minutes, then remove from the cooking pot.
5. Add the remaining oil to the cooking pot.
6. Then, add whole spices to the cooking pot, stir for a few seconds to release the aroma.
7. Add sliced onion and fry till it developed golden brown colour. It will take 7-8 minutes. Remove a small portion of fried onion from the oil and spread it on a plate, we will use it for garnish.
8. Then add the rice, over medium heat fry the rice for about 6-7 minutes.
9. Pour boiling water into the rice. Increase the heat to high.
10. When the liquid starts bubbling up, reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover with a lid. Cook till the rice is almost half cooked.
11. Then add fried cashews, raisins, fried prawns, sugar, remaining ghee, and give a quick mix.
12. Then, add saffron milk, slit green chillies, fried onion and put the lid on.
13. Place a Tawa or iron griddle on the stovetop, once it is hot, place the pot where you cooked the rice.
14. Over medium-low heat continue dum-cooking for 10 -15 minutes. Then turn off the heat.
15. Give 5 minutes of resting time and serve!