Shrimp Pulao (Prawn Pulao) is a delicious one-pot Indian rice dish made using rice, shrimp, herbs, and spices. Make it at home using my easy recipe (gluten-free).
If you love prawns as much as I do, try these recipes too, and I am sure you will love them – Grilled Sambal Prawns, Chilli Prawns, Garlic Butter Shrimp, Kerala Prawn Curry, and Prawn Coconut Curry.
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About Shrimp Pulao (Prawn Pulao)
Shrimp Pulao (Prawn Pulao) is an Indian-style rice dish where rice is cooked with shrimp, herbs, and spices.
This gluten-free one-pot meal recipe is spicy, loaded with flavors, and super easy to make, perfect for days when you want to eat something delicious but have no time to make elaborate meals. It is also my go-to recipe for potlucks, house parties, or family dinners.
Shrimp Pulao is made in different ways in different homes. In this post, I am sharing the recipe I use at home.
You can easily double or triple the prawn pulao recipe if making it for a crowd.
Ingredients
Rice – Use any white rice that is readily available. You can also use brown rice or quinoa instead of white rice, but the cooking time will vary. I prefer using long-grain basmati rice.
Prawns (Shrimp) – I have used medium prawns, but small, jumbo, or tiger prawns also work great. Use fresh prawns or frozen prawns. If using frozen shrimp, then thaw them before cooking.
For The Green Masala – This shrimp pulao recipe uses a refreshing and tasty green masala made with fresh tomatoes, green chilies, fresh coconut, cilantro (fresh coriander leaves), and fresh mint leaves.
Adjust the green chillies according to your taste.
Whole Spices – Whole spices release a beautiful aroma and flavor when added to hot ghee or oil. I have used cloves (laung), black peppercorns (kali mirch), bay leaves (tejpatta), cinnamon (dalchini), and green cardamom (hair elaichi).
Oil and Ghee – I have used a combination of oil and ghee to make this pulao, but you can use any of them.
Spice Powders – You will need a few basic Indian spices like coriander powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder, turmeric powder, and garam masala powder.
Others – You will also need onions, ginger garlic paste, freshly squeezed lime juice (or lemon juice), and salt.
How To Make Shrimp Pulao
Preparation
Clean and devein 8 oz (250 g) of shrimp.
Wash 1 and ½ cups of white rice 2-3 times with water until the water runs clear. Soak it in 4-5 cups of water for 20 minutes. This process will make sure the rice is fluffy and cooked evenly.
Make The Green Masala Paste
Add
- ½ cup chopped tomatoes
- 2-3 green chilies
- ¼ cup chopped fresh coconut
- ¼ cup cilantro (packed)
- ¼ cup fresh mint (packed)
to a blender or a food processor.
Add ¼ cup water and blend to make a smooth paste. Scrape the sides of the blender a few times while blending. Set aside.
Make The Prawn Pulao
Heat 1 tablespoon ghee and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add
- 2-3 whole cloves
- 3-4 whole peppercorns
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick
- 2 whole green cardamoms
and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds.
Add ¼ cup chopped onions and fry until slightly browned (6-8 minutes), stirring frequently.
Add 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste and cook for a minute.
Now add the ground green masala paste, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, and ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, and cook for a minute.
Add the cleaned prawns, 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice, ½ teaspoon garam masala powder, and 2 teaspoon salt, and stir gently.
Drain the water from the rice and add the rice to the pan.
Add 2 cups of water and mix gently.
Note – Rice to water ratio is essential 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.
Reduce the heat to low.
Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook the rice undisturbed on low heat until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked well (20-25 minutes).
Once the rice is cooked, remove the pan from heat and let the pulao rest for 5 minutes.
Remove the pan lid and fluff the shrimp pulao using a fork. Serve hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cook 1 cup of raw rice and cool it completely. It is preferable to use day-old rice in this recipe.
Clean and devein 8 oz (250 g) of shrimp.
Add ½ cup chopped tomatoes, 2-3 green chilies, ¼ cup chopped fresh coconut, ¼ cup cilantro, and ¼ cup fresh mint to a blender. Add ¼ cup water and blend to make a smooth paste. Set aside
Heat 1 tablespoon ghee and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add 2-3 whole cloves, 3-4 whole peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick, and 2 whole green cardamoms, and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds.
Add ¼ cup chopped onions and fry until slightly browned (6-8 minutes), stirring frequently.
Add 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste and cook for a minute.
Now add the cleaned prawns, 1 teaspoon lime juice, and ½ teaspoon garam masala powder, and mix everything well.
Add the green masala paste, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, and 2 teaspoon salt, and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the masala is almost dry.
Add the cooled cooked rice and toss well to coat it with the masala. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Serve hot.
It is essential to remove the black vein on the upper body of the prawns. If left, it can lead to serious allergies. Most frozen prawns come cleaned, but to be safer, check the details on the packet.
Cleaning prawns is an easy process! First and foremost, start by rinsing prawns in cold water and discard any that are discolored or slimy.
Hold the prawn tightly and firmly twist the head. 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 cut, you will see a small black line; it’s the vein. Use the knife tip to pull out the vein and discard it. Clean all the prawns in the same way.
Rinse once more with cold water. The prawns are ready to cook.
Follow the recipe below in a 3-liter stovetop pressure cooker, close the lid, and cook on high heat for 2 whistles. Remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure release naturally.
Open the cooker, fluff the prawns pulao with a fork, and serve hot.
Note – If doubling or tripling the recipe, use a 5-liter cooker. The time of pressure cooking will remain the same.
Press the SAUTE button of a 6-quart instant pot and follow the recipe until water is added to the pot, but add only 1 and ½ cups of water for 1 and ½ cups of rice. Close the instant pot lid and set the valve to the sealing position. Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 6 minutes at high pressure. Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid. Fluff the pulao and serve.
Note – If doubling or tripling the recipe, use an 8-quart instant pot. The time of pressure cooking will remain the same.
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.
Pro Tips By Neha
Add veggies like potatoes, carrots, green bell peppers (capsicum), green beans, and green peas to make the shrimp pulao more wholesome.
You can add some biryani masala, tandoori masala, pulao masala, or spicy goda masala to the prawn pulao for a taste change.
Chopped dill tastes excellent in this recipe.
Replace water with thin coconut milk for a coconutty pulao.
Serving Suggestions
Shrimp Pulao tastes great with plain yogurt or raita. I like to serve it with Tomato Onion Raita, Burani Raita, Boondi Raita, or Cucumber Raita.
Drizzle a little ghee on top and serve crispy papad on the side for a hearty meal.
You can also garnish the pulao with some Crispy Fried Onions to make it even more indulgent.
Storage Suggestions
You can store the leftover Prawn Pulao in the refrigerator for 2 days.
If you want to keep it longer, freeze it in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Once ready to eat, thaw over the counter for 2-3 hours, then microwave until warm and serve.
If the pulao looks dry, splash some water before putting it in the microwave.
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Recipe Card
Shrimp Pulao Recipe (Prawn Pulao)
Ingredients
- 1 and ½ cups white rice (I used basmati rice but any white rice will work fine.)
- ½ cup chopped tomatoes
- 2-3 green chilies (slit into half)
- ¼ cup grated fresh coconut
- ¼ cup cilantro (fresh coriander leaves) (packed)
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves (packed)
- 1 tablespoon ghee (replace with oil for a dairy-free recipe)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2-3 whole cloves (laung)
- 3-4 whole black peppercorns (kali mirch)
- 2 whole bay leaves (tejpatta)
- 1 inch piece of cinnamon stick (dalchini)
- 2 whole green cardamom (hari elaichi)
- ¼ cup chopped onions
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 8 ounce shrimp (prawns) (250 g, cleaned and deveined.)
- 1 teaspoon Freshly squeezed lime juice (or lemon juice)
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
Soak The Rice
- Wash rice 2-3 times with water until the water runs clear. Soak it in 4-5 cups of water for 20 minutes.
Make Green Masala Paste
- Add tomatoes, chilies, coconut, cilantro, and mint to a blender or a food processor.
- Add ¼ cup water and blend to make a smooth paste. Scrape the sides of the blender a few times while blending. Set aside.
Make The Prawn Pulao
- Heat ghee and oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and green cardamoms, and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds.
- Add onions and fry until slightly browned (6-8 minutes), stirring frequently.
- Add ginger-garlic paste and cook for a minute.
- Now add the ground green masala paste, coriander powder, chili powder, and turmeric powder, and cook for a minute.
- Add the prawns, lime juice, garam masala powder, and salt, and stir gently.
- Drain the water from the rice and add the rice to the pan.
- Add 2 cups of water and mix gently.
- Reduce the heat to low.
- Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook the rice undisturbed until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked well (20-25 minutes).
- 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 shrimp pulao using a fork. Serve hot.
Dr. Deepu
Simply gorgeous!!! Heartful thanks to the entire Whiskaffair family.
Neha Mathur
Thank you 🙂
Winnie
A simple preparation using regular spices but so flavorful and absolutely delicious. The only change I made was marinating the prawns. Loved it.
Neha Mathur
Happy to hear 🙂
Bhavna
When adding the rice in the masala, should we let the prawns be in it? Won’t they get rubbery?
Neha Mathur
They are cooked in low heat so don’t turn chewy.