Herbed Seafood Biryani
This stunning zarda pulao (pilaf) recipe makes a wonderfully comforting dessert, full of sweetness and spice, with a little added crunch from the toasted cashews and pistachios. Saffron adds a wonderful golden colour to this celebratory Kashmiri dish. Courtesy of Peter Joseph and Great British Chefs.
- 30 - 60 Minutes
- Hard
- Serves 2
Ingredients
Seafood biryani
24 king prawns, peeled with tail left on
12 Queen scallops, roe removed, keep some whole for garnish and cut the others into quarters
40g of white crab meat
2 bay leaves
2 large onions, sliced
350g of jordan farms premium sona masoori rice
200ml of fish stock
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
3 tbsp of natural set yoghurt
Cassia, one 2 inch piece (you can use cinnamon if you can’t get hold of cassia)
4 cloves
2 green cardamom pods
60ml of vegetable oil
Salt
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1 tbsp of pine nuts, toasted
Herb Paste
1 knob of ginger, 1 inch in length, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
3 tbsp of coriander leaves
2 tbsp of mint leaves
2 tbsp of dill tops, reserve a few sprigs for garnish
2 green chillies, de-seeded
Method
To begin, heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Sauté the bay leaves for 10 seconds and add sliced onions. Fry until deep golden brown
While the onions are cooking, place a large pan of water to boil. Wash and soak the rice in a large bowl of lukewarm water. Place the fish stock in a saucepan over medium heat, reduce by half and set aside
Grind the ingredients for the herb paste in a food processor and set aside
When the onions are browned, add the turmeric, fry for a minute and add the herb paste. Fry for a further 2–3 minutes, add the yoghurt and stir well to combine. Cook for a further 5 minutes and remove from heat
Add the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and salt to the pan of boiling water, simmer for 5 minutes then remove the spices and discard. Drain the soaked rice and add to the boiling water, stirring gently
Meanwhile, heat the pan containing the herb mixture and add the scallops, prawns and crab meat. Sauté for a minute, stirring gently. Add the reduced fish stock and remove a few prawns and scallops for garnish
Check the rice – once it is three quarters cooked, drain in a colander and add to the pan containing the herbs and seafood. Stir gently to mix the herbs and seafood into the rice. Check the seasoning, add the lemon juice and leave to simmer for 10 minutes
To serve, divide the biryani between bowls and garnish with a few of the reserved king prawns and scallops. Add a sprinkling of toasted pine nuts, lemon zest and dill fronds. Serve hot
