KING PRAWN PULAO

Cooking time: 2 hours
Serves: 8
Ingredients

King prawn (shelled) 1 kg
Basmati rice 1 kg
Onions 1 kg
Tomatoes ½ kg
Orange colour ½ tsp
Milk 1 tbsp
Peppercorns 20 nos
Cloves 25 nos
Cadammoms 15 nos
Cinammon stick 10 cm
Cummin seeds 1 tsp
Shahajeera (caraway seeds) 1 tsp
Red chillies 20 nos
Turmeric powder 1 tsp
Garlic 1 pod
Ginger piece 4 cms
Coriander leaves (cut fine) ½ cup
Green chillies 6 nos
Cashew nuts 125 gm
Oil 1 cup
Salt 1 tbsp

Method:

Wash rice and keep aside for two hours. Slice ½ kg onions and deep-fry till dark brown in the oil. Keep aside. In the same oil add peppercorns, green chillies (cut lengthwise) and coriander leaves (cut fine). Add ½ kg onion (cut fine). Fry onion till it becomes light brown. Grind ginger, garlic and other masala to a fine paste. Add to the roasted onion, in the pan and fry for 2 minutes. Then add prawns, ground cashew nuts paste, chopped tomato and ½ cup water. Cook till gravy thickness. Parboil rice in water, with 1 tbsp salt. When rice is cooked drain water completely and spread rice in a big flat plate.

Apply orange colouring to the rice and divide in into seven parts. The mass of onion and prawns with masala should be divided each into 3 parts. At the bottom of a large vessel place slices of raw potato. This is to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom. Spread a layer of rice over the raw potato slices. Then spread a layer of prawns and onions over the rice. Continue the layering process as follows: rice, onion, rice, prawns, and so on, with a final layer of rice.

Make 4 holes on the upper layer of rice and pour in each hole one teaspoon of clarified butter. Put a lid on it and make a paste of 1 cup of wheat flour, with water and seal the lid with the same. Keep the dish on light flame for about 1 hour till the seal is broken and steam comes out. Then put off the flame. The emission of the steam is an indication that the dish is ready and the same is ready to be served.