Made by cooking rice along with prawns, onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and everyday spices, this Prawn Pulao or Shrimp Pulao is a simple and flavourful recipe. Try it for your weekday meals and you will love every bite of it.
If you love Prawns as much as I do, try these recipes too and I am sure you will love it – Grilled Sambal Prawns, Chilli Prawns, Garlic Butter Shrimp, Kerala Prawn Curry, and Prawn Coconut Curry.
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About This Recipe
Most of the days, I prefer making Vegetarian Pulao recipes such as Veg Pulao, Paneer Pulao, Mumbai Style Tawa Pulao, Matar Pulao, Gucchi Pulao, and Gobi Pulao for my everyday meals. But this time I tried my hands on this mouth-watering Prawn Pulao and we loved it at home.
Prawn Pulao or Shrimp Pulao is a one-pot dish where rice is cooked along with onions, ginger garlic paste, green masala, lemon juice, and basic everyday spices with prawns being the star ingredient.
Easy to make and delicious to eat, this Shrimp Pulao also makes a great side dish for your house party meals, pot lucks, or even for your weekday dinners.
You can use any prawns of your choice to make this lightly spiced and aromatic recipe. I have used medium-sized prawns but jumbo prawns also work great.
This Pulao is now a casual affair at home, as I prefer to make dishes, where ingredients are easily available rather than searching for fancy ingredients for my everyday meals.
It is so easy to make and quick, making it apt for your everyday meals or even to pack in your Office Lunch Box.
This Prawn Pulao is,
- Easy & Quick
- Full of Flavour
- Delicious
- Perfect for everyday meals
- Great to pack in Lunch Box
Ingredients
To make this oh-so-good and simple Prawn Pulao, you will need,
Rice – I have used long grain basmati rice here as that is the best to make pulao or biryani, but the best part about this recipe is that you can use any rice that is easily available to you and it will still taste delicious.
You can also use brown rice or quinoa to make Prawn Pulao, instead of white rice.
Prawns – Use any variety of prawns to make this Pulao. Fresh or frozen, both works great.
You can use any size prawns, medium-sized ones, small or jumbo, or tiger prawns.
For the Green Masala – This recipe uses a refreshing and tasty green masala that is prepared with the combination of tomato, green chili, fresh coconut, coriander, and mint leaves.
You can adjust the amount of green chilies as per your taste.
Use fresh and bright green coriander and mint. Do not use the wilted ones, as they will not add that refreshing taste.
Whole Spices – This pulao also gets a subtle flavor from whole spices, that release a beautiful aroma along with the flavor when added to hot ghee or oil. I have used cloves, black peppercorns, bay leaves, cinnamon, and green cardamom.
Oil and Ghee – I have used the combination of oil and ghee to make this Pulao, but you can use one of them.
Spice Powders – We will add a little more spice and taste with everyday spice powders such as coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, and garam masala powder.
You can adjust the amount of spices as per your taste.
Other ingredients that are required – onion, ginger garlic paste, lime juice and salt.
How to make Prawn Pulao?
Start by cleaning 250 g of prawn properly. It is very important to remove the black vein on the upper body of the prawn. If left, it can lead to serious allergies. Most frozen prawns come cleaned, but to be on the safer side, do check the details on the packet.
Wash 1 and ½ cups rice 2-3 times with water until the water runs clear and soak it in 4-5 cups of water for 20 minutes. This process will make sure the rice is fluffy and cook evenly.
Add ½ cup chopped tomato, 2-3 green chili, ¼ cup chopped fresh coconut, ¼ cup coriander, and ¼ cup mint in the small jar of a grinder. Adjust the amount of green chilies according to your taste.
Grind these ingredients along with 2-3 tbsp of water to make a smooth paste. Do not add too much water, otherwise, the final rice will become mushy.
Heat 1 tbsp ghee and 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot, add 2-3 cloves, 3-4 peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick, and 2 green cardamoms and let them crackle for a few seconds. Add ¼ cup chopped onion and fry on medium-high heat until they are slightly browned. Keep stirring at regular intervals while frying.
Add 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Now add the ground green masala, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp red chili powder, and ½ tsp turmeric powder and cook for 2-3 minutes. I always use Kashmiri red chili in my cooking as it’s not too hot but gives a beautiful color to the dishes.
Add the cleaned prawns, 1 tsp lime juice, ½ tsp garam masala powder, and salt to taste. Mix everything well.
Drain the water from the rice and add the rice to the pan. Add 2 and ½ cups of water and mix gently. Rice to water ratio is very important to get the perfect texture of the pulao, so be very careful with that. Use standard cups and spoon measurements to measure the ingredients for the best results.
Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook the rice on low heat until all the liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked well. It will take 20-25 minutes for the rice to cook perfectly. Once the rice is cooked, remove the pan from heat and let the pulao rest for 5 minutes. Remove the lid of the pan and fluff the prawn’s pulao using a fork. Serve hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cleaning prawns is an easy process! First and foremost, start by rinsing prawns in cold water and discard any that are discolored or slimy.
Make sure you wash them properly.
Hold the prawn tightly and firmly twist the head of the prawns. Next, hold the tail, peel away the outer shell, and pull off the legs from the underside of the shell.
Now use a knife and put a small cut that runs down the length of the prawn’s back.
Once you make a cut, you will see a small black line, it’s the vein. Use the tip of the knife to pull out the vein and discard it.
Rinse them once more with cold water and make sure that you have cleaned the intestines well. Once you are done, your prawns are ready to use now.
Follow the same recipe as given below, close the lid of the cooker and cook till the cooker releases 2 to 3 whistles on high heat. Let the pressure release naturally.
Once done, open the cooker, mix the pulao with a fork, and serve hot.
No, this recipe uses ghee, which is a dairy ingredient. If you want a dairy-free version, skip adding ghee and make this Pulao only in oil.
I like to make Prawns Pulao with Fresh Prawns, but you can go ahead and prepare it with frozen prawns too. Thaw the prawns until they come to room temperature and then use them in the Pulao.
Pro Tips By Neha
Soak the rice for minimum of 20 to 30 minutes, as it results in fluffy and separate rice.
You can use any prawns of your choice to make this Pulao. Small, medium, jumbo, or fresh or frozen, all works great.
Make sure you do not overcook the prawns, as they might turn chewy and rubbery which won’t taste good. Prawns cook very quickly, so keep an eye on them.
You can avoid adding the whole spices, but I strongly recommend it for a nice flavor and aroma.
To make it more wholesome, you can even add some potatoes, capsicum, or peas along with Prawns in this Pulao.
Add some chopped dill for a delicious flavor to this pulao.
You can also add some tandoori masala or spicy goda masala to the prawn pulao.
Variation
Using Cooked Rice – To make this pulao using cooked rice, heat oil in a pan. Add whole spices and fry for a few seconds. Add onion, ginger, and garlic and fry for 3-4 minutes.
Now add green and tomatoes and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add coriander powder, turmeric powder, and red chili powder and cook for a minute.
Add the prawns and cover the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Add cooked rice and toss everything well. You can use cauliflower rice in place of regular rice for a healthier version.
Using Coconut Milk – You can make a spicy tomato, onion masala along with ginger, garlic, green chilies, and all the basic spice powder such as red chili powder, turmeric powder, and coriander powder. Add in the washed rice, prawns, and add thin coconut milk instead of water to cook the Pulao.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve this pulao on its own, as it is full of flavor and does not need an accompaniment to flavor it even more. You can serve it with Raita Recipes such as Tomato Onion Raita, Burani Raita, Boondi Raita, Cucumber Raita, or any other Raita that you prefer. Do not forget to serve fried papad on the side.
You can even serve this Pulao as a side dish along with your weekend meals or just with a refreshing salad for everyday meals.
Storage Suggestions
You can store the leftover pulao in the refrigerator for 2 days.
If you want to keep it for a longer time, then freeze it in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Once ready to eat, just thaw for 2-3 hours over the counter, then micro until warm and serve.
If the pulao looks dry, you can splash some water over it before putting it in the microwave.
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Recipe Card
Prawn Pulao Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 and ½ cups basmati rice
- ½ cup chopped tomatoes
- 2-3 green chilies (slit into half)
- ¼ cup grated fresh coconut
- ¼ cup fresh coriander (packed)
- ¼ cup fresh mint (packed)
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2-3 whole cloves
- 3-4 whole black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 inch piece of cinnamon stick
- 2 whole green cardamom
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 250 g prawns (cleaned)
- 1 tsp lime juice
- ½ tsp garam masala powder
- salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Start by cleaning 250 g of prawn properly. It is very important to remove the black vein on the upper body of the prawn. If left, it can lead to serious allergies. Most frozen prawns come cleaned, but to be on the safer side, do check the details on the packet.
- Wash 1 and ½ cups rice 2-3 times with water until the water runs clear and soak it in 4-5 cups of water for 20 minutes. This process will make sure the rice is fluffy and cook evenly.
- Add ½ cup chopped tomato, 2-3 green chili, ¼ cup chopped fresh coconut, ¼ cup coriander, and ¼ cup mint in the small jar of a grinder. Adjust the amount of green chilies according to your taste.
- Grind these ingredients along with 2-3 tbsp of water to make a smooth paste. Do not add too much water, otherwise, the final rice will become mushy.
- Heat 1 tbsp ghee and 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot, add 2-3 cloves, 3-4 peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick, and 2 green cardamoms and let them crackle for a few seconds.
- Add ¼ cup chopped onion and fry on medium-high heat until they are slightly browned. Keep stirring at regular intervals while frying.
- Add 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Now add the ground green masala, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp red chili powder, and ½ tsp turmeric powder and cook for 2-3 minutes. I always use Kashmiri red chili in my cooking as it’s not too hot but gives a beautiful color to the dishes.
- Add the cleaned prawns, 1 tsp lime juice, ½ tsp garam masala powder, and salt to taste. Mix everything well.
- Drain the water from the rice and add the rice to the pan. Add 2 and ½ cups of water and mix gently. Rice to water ratio is very important to get the perfect texture of the pulao, so be very careful with that. Use standard cups and spoon measurements to measure the ingredients for the best results.
- Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook the rice on low heat until all the liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked well. It will take 20-25 minutes for the rice to cook perfectly.
- Once the rice is cooked, remove the pan from heat and let the pulao rest for 5 minutes. Remove the lid of the pan and fluff the prawn’s pulao using a fork. Serve hot.
