Fish Biryani
Ingredients
Fish Marination
- 1 kg Fish fillet of your choice, cut into pieces, boneless
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoons Red chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic paste
- 1/2 teaspoon Ginger paste 1/2 teaspoon
- 1 lemon Juice
Rice
- 600 grams Basmati rice, washed 2-3 times then soaked for half an hour
- 10-12 Black peppercorns
- 3 medium Cinnamon sticks
- 2 Star anise
- 5-6 Cloves
- 2-3 Bay leaves
- 4 Green cardamom
- 2 Black cardamom
Gravy/Masala
- 2 big Onions (or 3 medium sized), thinly sliced
- 3 big Tomatoes finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon Ginger paste
- 2 teaspoons Red chili powder
- 2 teaspoons Turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoons Cumin powder
- 2 teaspoons Coriander powder
- 1.5 cup Yogurt
Biryani Layers
- Fried onions
- Lemons sliced
- Mint chopped
- Coriander chopped
- Green chili thickly sliced
- Yellow food color mixed in water
Instructions
Marination
- First of all, remove the scales of the fish if present.
- Apply generous amount of wheat flour (atta) and keep aside for 10-15 minutes. This helps to eliminate the odour from the fish meat.
- Wash the wheat flour from the fish thoroughly with running water. Pat dry the fish pieces. Fish is ready for marination.
- Add salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder, garlic paste, ginger paste and lemon juice.
- Mix everything together and apply of fish pieces. Cover and marinate on the counter top for 1 hour if the weather is cold. If its hot then you can refrigerate it for 1 hour.
Frying
- Heat 1/2 cup of oil in a pot and add marinated fish pieces. Fry for 1-2 minutes on each side on high flame. Do not let it brown.
- NOTE: The purpose of frying on high heat is to seal the fish from outside. This will retain the fish moisture inside and also help the fish hold its shape. We do not need to cook fish at this step as it will be cooked in the gravy later.
Rice Preparation
- Wash and then soak the rice for about 20-30 minutes. Boil them with black Peppercorns, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, bay leaf, green cardamom and black Cardamoms. Do not cook it all the way. It should be about 80-90% done. Drain the water off.
Gravy Preparation
- While the rice is cooking, heat the half cup of oil in a deep pan and then fry the onion slices until golden. Remove a quarter of the fried onions (these will be used later for layering the biryani) and leave the rest in the pan.
- Add ginger paste and garlic paste and sauté until aromatic.
- Add chopped tomatoes, sauté for a minute or two until softened a little.
- Add yogurt, prunes, turmeric powder, chili powder, cumin powder and coriander powder.
- Cover and cook until everything is well cooked and the oil starts to release from the sides.
- Now add the fried fish along with its juices. Also add the left-over fish marinade. You can add a bit of water (less than half a cup) if you find the gravy too dry. Cover and cook in the masala for about 15 minutes on medium to low heat.
Layering
- Now let’s start layering, put half of the rice in a big skillet, add some lemon slices, mint, coriander, green chilies and yellow food colour. Remember to sprinkle the reserved fried onions.
- Add the cooked fish gravy on top. Do not put the fish pieces as yet. Repeat the process for the second layer and add all the fish pieces on top.
- Cover with a tight lid and place on very low heat for about 10-15 minutes to steam. Once done, open and fluff up the biryani gently.
- Serve hot and Enjoy this yummilicious Fish Biryani with mint raita.