Shrimps/Prawns are our favorite seafood. I can try any variety and not feel bored. I wanted to try a pulao or biryani and was looking for a different recipe this time. That is when I found the shrimp biryani recipe on showmethecurry.com. I tweaked this recipe to my taste and voila! It turned out delicious.

Ingredients:
500g prawns cleaned and deveined
1 1/2 cups basmati rice
2-3 tbsp roughly chopped ginger
2-3 tbsp roughly chopped garlic
5-6 green chillies or to taste
2 medium size onions thinly sliced
3-4 green cardamoms
3-4 cloves
1″ piece cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
2 medium tomatoes finely chopped
1 cup mint leaves chopped
2 cups coconut milk + 1 cup water
4 tbsp ghee/oil
red chilli powder to taste
salt to taste

Method:
Grind the ginger, garlic and green chillies into a paste and keep aside.

Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan or a pressure cooker. Add the cloves, cinnamon stick, cardamoms and bay leaves. Fry for 30 seconds. Add the sliced onions. Fry till the onions turn golden brown. Add in the ginger, garlic and green chilli paste and mix well. Fry till the raw smell goes and  the paste is fried.

Add in the chopped tomatoes, mint leaves, red chilli  powder and salt. Fry till the tomatoes are soft and cooked. Now is the time to add the shrimps (prawns). Mix well. If you are using a pan, cook these prawns for a while till they turn opaque.

Add in the rice and mix well for about 2 mins. Add the coconut milk and water. Bring to a boil.

If you are using a pan, let the water evaporate till the rice is seen on top. At this point cover the pan and let the pulao cook on a low flame for about 10 minutes. If the coconut milk is thick and it forms a layer on top, just mix gently before closing with a lid.

If you are using a pressure cooker, close the lead. Once the steam begins to come out, put on the weight. Let it whistle once and turn off the flame. Let the pressure go down by itself.

Now open the lid and gently mix the rice. Let it stand for 5 minutes.

Serve hot!!

Ingredients:
18-20 medium to big prawns (shrimps)
2 tsp Tandoori Masala
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp red chilli  powder
1 tbsp  lime juice
Salt to taste

Method:
Red chilli powder and lime juice can be varied according to your taste. A word of caution is that prawns require less salt as compared to fish or vegetables. So, be careful how much you add in.

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and marinate the prawns, so that the prawns are covered with the marinade. You can also add in a pinch of orange red food colour, but this is completely optional. Keep in the refrigerator for about an hour at least. Keeping it in the refrigerator will keep the marinated prawns dry.

Heat a pan. Once hot sprinkle some oil. Now, place the marinated prawns one by one on the hot tava. Fry on medium flame. Turn the prawns to fry them on  the other side. Fry till the prawns are completely cooked.

Serve hot as a starter or eat it the way you like! Prawns taste good anyway :D.

Ingredients:
500 gm prawns cleaned/deveined
4-5 medium size onions finely chopped
1 tbsp tamarind pulp
2 tsp red chilli powder
5-6 cloves garlic crushed
Salt to taste
oil for seasoning

Method:
For the tamarind pulp, soak tamarind equal to size of a lemon in water. Squeeze out the pulp with some water.
Now, heat 2 tbsp of oil. Add the onions. Stir fry till brown but not burnt(Yep.. a little tricky, should be done on a low flame). Add the red chilli powder and stir for a min. Add the tamarind pulp and bring to a boil. Now, let the prawns go in. Add the salt. Cook on low flame till the gravy thickens and prawns are cooked.
Heat 2 tsp of oil separately for seasoning. Add the crushed garlic cloves. Fry till they turn golden brown. Add this to the hot gravy.
Phanna upkari is ready to serve!!