Shrimp Biryani – Enjoy an Indian Feast for Your Next Celebration

Shrimp Biryani (pronounced bir-ee-ah-nee) along with my other favorite recipes for Saag Paneer and Cilantro Mint Chutney were the inspiration for teaching A Taste of India Cooking Classes. While perfecting this recipe, we so enjoyed the Shrimp Biryani, made with aromatic basmati rice, whole Indian spices, fresh ginger, garlic, cilantro, chili and wild shrimp that it was on our monthly (sometimes weekly) dinner rotation for the past few months, including Christmas Eve.

Biryani translates as “spicy rice.” That’s spicy from spices and only mildly spicy from chili peppers. The cardamom, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, cloves and Indian bay leaf make for depth of delicious flavor in every bite. And baking Shrimp Biryani in the oven makes it both easy and convenient.

Tantalizing aromas and complex flavors

Indian cuisine includes the whole palette of flavors. Based on the principles of Ayurvedic medicine, spices were originally chosen for their medicinal qualities. Ayurveda practitioners speak of the importance of incorporating all six tastes in every meal—sweet, sour, salty, spicy, bitter and astringent. Doing so helps us maintain balanced nutrition, good health, and feelings of overall satisfaction. Adding chutney, raita, pickle and/or salad to a meal assures the presence of all six tastes. And, often in each bite.

Temper those spices

“Hot fat has an amazing ability to extract and retain the essence, aroma and flavor of spices and herbs and then carry this essence with it when it is added to a dish.”
Monica Bhide

Tempering whole spices in hot oil both deepens and opens up or blooms their flavors. Dry roasting whole spices then grinding them, makes a tremendous difference in taste and aroma. Even dry roasting already ground spices, as long as you can do so without burning them, increases their flavor as well.

Making either a wet or dry paste of fresh ginger, garlic, chilis and/or cilantro adds additional layers of flavor. Tempering in hot oil along with sautéing in the fresh paste make for an exceptionally well-flavored biryani.

Shrimp . . .

Last summer I tasted wild Patagonia pink shrimp for the first time. So tender, sweet and full-flavored shrimp like I’d never tasted before. Made with these succulent shrimp, Shrimp Biryani made with these succulent shrimp, has become one of my favorite celebration foods. Note: I purchase these Patagonia shrimp from our local Safeway grocery store.

… and shrimp stock

Having now cooked Shrimp Biryani a number of times, I’ve also adjusted and refined the recipe. One of the most important refinements is to keep the shrimp shells after peeling the shrimp. Being so filled with flavor I add them to my completed and strained homemade and unsalted vegetable stock, then reduce it a bit more. Such a delicious fragrance and taste the shells add to the biryani.

Tej Patta—Indian Bay Leaves

In the process of researching Shrimp Biryani, I discovered Indian Bay Leaves. Major differences in flavor, aroma and appearance exist between Indian Bay Leaves known as tej patta and the Mediterranean or California bay leaves.

Tej patta have a cinnamon-like aroma and taste. Bay Laurel leaves smell and taste more like pine and lemon. In appearance, the longer, olive colored tej patta leaves have three veins running lengthwise from one end to the other. Shorter and greener bay laurel leaves have only one lengthwise vein.

This small purple bag contains tej patta and green cardamom pods. Each student was given a bag for making their own Shrimp Biryani at home.

Shrimp Biryani – Oven-Baked Indian Spicy Rice with Shrimp

So many tantalizing and complex flavors in this fragrant basmati rice with sautéed shrimp. From the whole spices (masala), to the boldly flavored garlic, ginger, chilies and cilantro paste for cooking both cook the rice and the shrimp.
Inspired by and adapted from amreen’s recipe on the Food 52 site.

When you want to make Shrimp Biryani with short grain brown rice, increase the liquid to 4 cups minus 2 tablespoons and increase the oven time to 1 hour.

Serves 8                                                                            Printer-Friendly Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups basmati rice
4 cups unsalted or very low sodium vegetable stock, preferably homemade
2 cups ¼-inch diced onion (1 large onion)
1 teaspoon salt
2 ounces butter
1 cup defrosted, frozen green peas
3 tablespoons thinly-sliced fresh mint leaves

Shrimp
1 ⅓ pounds 21-25 count raw shrimp, shelled and deveined (shells saved)
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil to sauté the shrimp
1 bay leaf (preferably Indian bay leaf tej patta)

Ginger/garlic/chili/cilantro paste
1 1×1 inch piece of ginger cut into 4 or 5 pieces
4 large cloves garlic, peeled
1-2 Serrano chilies, halved with seeds and membrane removed
½ cup packed cilantro leaves with their tender stems

Masala (whole spices)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon black peppercorns, such as Tellicherry
1 2½ inch cinnamon stick
½ teaspoon whole cloves
10 whole green cardamom pods, lightly tapped with a knife to begin to split the pods
1 bay leaf (preferably Indian bay leaf tej patta)

Garnish
Additional coarsely chopped cilantro

Instructions

1. Wash the rice in a few changes of water until the water runs clear. Soak the rice in cold water for about 20 minutes or until needed.
2. Shell and devein the shrimp, saving the shells. Rinse, drain and dry the shrimp. Toss them with the ground turmeric and salt. Store them covered in the refrigerator until needed.
3. Place the vegetable stock in a medium pot. Stir in the shrimp shells. Gently simmer the stock and shells together until the stock has reduced to 3 cups. Set aside.
4. Prepare the ginger/garlic/chili/cilantro paste: With the food processor running, drop the chili(s), ginger and garlic through the hole in the lid to finely chop them. Stop the machine. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides. Add the cilantro and process this mixture into a paste. Transfer to 2 small bowls, dividing the quantity of the paste in half.
5. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
6. Temper the masala: In a 4-quart heavy, oven-safe pan with a tight-fitting lid, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the whole peppercorns, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and Indian bay leaf. Sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
7. Stir in the chopped onion. Stirring frequently, cook about 10 minutes until the onion lightly browns.
8. While the onions are cooking, drain the shells from the stock, pressing down on them to extract as much liquid as possible. Measure the stock, you will need 3 cups of stock for cooking the rice.
9. Stir in half of the ginger/garlic/chili/cilantro paste and cook for 2 minutes.
10. Add the drained stock and salt. Raise the heat to bring the stock to a boil
11. Drain the rice well and add it to the boiling stock along with the butter. When boiling, turn off the heat. Cover the pan and transfer it to the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes.
12. Remove the pan from the oven. Scatter the peas and mint on top of the rice. Replace the lid. Let the rice sit about 10 minutes while you sauté the shrimp.
13. Sauté the shrimp: In a large skillet melt the oil over medium heat. Add the remainder of the ginger/garlic/chili/cilantro paste and the Indian bay leaf and sauté for 2 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the shrimp. Sauté until they turn from translucent to opaque becoming a very light pink.
14. Uncover the rice and toss in the peas and mint while fluffing the rice. Top it with the shrimp.
15. Serve Shrimp Biryani garnished with additional coarsely chopped cilantro.

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