Fish Biriyani

Many of my friends haven’t even heard about Fish Biriyani. They knit their brows when I tell them about it. They think the smell of fish doesn’t go well with a Biriyani. But once they taste it, they would go ‘ooh’ing and ‘aah’ing and ask for the recipe. My mom too, she was so uncomfortable to try out biriyani with fish. So I have never had a chance to taste this before marriage. After marriage, I started experimenting once I saw my friend making it. I have been bragging about it to my mom on the phone whenever I make it in my kitchen. Last week she called me and said “hey, I made fish biriyani”! I was so happy to hear that. King Fish is what we always use for this biriyani. You can use other fish too, without bones. The recipe for Shrimp Biriyani is almost the same. Here goes the recipe:

For the fish:
King fish – 1 ½ lbs.
Kashmri chilli powder – 1 tsp
Turmerci powder – ¼ tsp
Salt & Black pepper powder – to taste
Juice of one lemon

I used 3 big slices of king fish. Remove the skin and bones. Wash well and cut into cubes. Immerse in water mixed with lemon juice for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, take them out of the lemon water and pat dry. Make a marinade by mixing Kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt, and black pepper powder. Marinate the fish pieces for at least 30 minutes.

For the masala:
Oil/Ghee – ½ cup
Cashew nuts – 3 tbsp
Raisins – 2 tbsp
Onion – 3 big
Garlic – 1/3 cup
Ginger – 1/3 cup
Green chillies – 6
Coriander powder – 3 tsp
Paprika – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Poppy seeds – 1 tbsp
Fennel seeds – ½ tsp
Yogurt – ¾ cup
Garam masala – 1 tsp
Tomatoes – 2 big
Salt – to taste
Cilantro – ½ cup chopped
Mint leaves – 1/3 cup chopped

Chop the onion finely, preferably using a food processor. Chop garlic, ginger and green chillies together in the food processor. Heat up oil in a big frying pan and toast the cashew nuts and raisins. Remove them from the oil and add the fish pieces. Fry the fish 4 to 5 minutes on both sides until the outside is a bit crispy. If the pan is small, do it in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Remove the fish from the pan and keep aside. Add chopped onions to the same pan. Sauté the onion until it is translucent and lightly golden. Now add garlic, ginger, green chilli mix and cook for 5-6 minutes until the raw smell disappears. Add coriander powder, paprika and turmeric powder and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add yogurt and cook on a medium high flame until all the water from the yogurt evaporates. Powder poppy seeds and fennel seeds using a coffee grinder and add it to the pan. Add garam masala and salt. Stir well and add the tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are soft. Mash the tomatoes using the back of the spoon. Add the fried fish pieces and mix well. Cover the pan and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. The fish pieces tend to break apart when you stir, so stir very gently. After 30 minutes, add cilantro and mint leaves. Cook for another 5 minutes and remove from the stove.

For the rice:
Basmati rice – 2 cups
Cinnamon – 1 inch piece
Cloves – 6
Bay leaves – 2
Cardamom – 4
Lemon juice - 1tsp
Salt

Wash the rice and soak for 25 to 30 minutes. Drain.
In a big pan, bring 3 ¾ cups of water to a boil. Add the spices, lemon juice, salt and the rice. Stir gently and bring it to another boil. Once it comes to a boil, cover the pan partially and cook on a very low flame for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn off the stove, and cover the pan completely. Let it rest for 10 more minutes. Then open the pan, and gently separate the rice using a fork.

The grand finale!
Preheat the oven to 300 degree.
If you have an oven stone, keep it at the center of the oven.
Take an oven proof container and add half of the fish masala to it. Spread it evenly and add a layer of rice. Add the rest of the masala and rice evenly. Sprinkle the cashews and raisins on top. Cover the container tightly and place it on the oven stone. Bake it for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, you can turn off the oven, but let the biriyani rest there for another 30 minutes.

Garnish with fried onions and serve with raita, salad, papadam, inji curry, pickle etc…

Here is my recipe for mutton biriyani.

Also check out Sarah's Kerala Fish Biriyani, Priya's Kuska Biriyani, Gini's Mutton Biriyani, Sumitha's Chicken Biriyani, Kay's Chicken Biriyani, and indiandoc's Malabar Meen Biriyani.

This is my entry for Paz's From My Rasoi #6 - For the Love of Rice