Quick and Easy Prawn Pulao Recipe

Goan Prawn Pulao Recipe

Goan prawn pulao is a mildly spicy dish but very, very flavourful. The flavour comes from the whole spices, the coconut milk, and of course the prawns. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to make prawn pulao. The Goan prawn pulao is also a classic one-pot meal. A homemade prawn pulao is the perfect choice for those busy days when you don’t have much time for slaving away in the kitchen.

This popular and easy prawn pulao recipe is quick-to-make as well. You could cook it on the stove top in a thick-walled pot or in a pressure pan or pressure cooker. Also, in case you want to take the spiciness level up a notch or two, you could add a teaspoon of chilli powder to the spice mix. Prawn lovers will also love my lady’s finger and prawn curry, another iconic Goan recipe.

Ingredients

1 ½ cup basmati rice

2 cups water

1 cup coconut milk (from ¾ cup grated coconut)

20 prawns

8 cloves

12 pepper corns

2 cinnamon sticks around 1 ½“ each

5 green cardamom pods

2 bay leaves

2 tsp crushed garlic

2 tsp crushed ginger

½ tsp turmeric powder

4 green chillies finely chopped

1 medium-size onion chopped

1 medium-size tomato chopped

1 stock cube (vegetable or chicken)

Juice of half sour lime

½ cup peas

Salt to taste

3 tbsp oil, 2 tbsp ghee

For marinating the prawns:

Half the garlic and ginger

½ tsp salt

A pinch of turmeric powder

A few drops sour lime juice

Procedure

1. Wash the rice well and soak in water for around 20 minutes.
2. Clean, devein, and wash the prawns. Marinate them for around 15 – 20 minutes.
3. Heat the oil and ghee in a pressure pan (or pot).
4. Add the whole spices one by one, and sauté them for 1 – 2 minutes.
5. Add the chopped green chillies and after sautéing these, add the onions and fry these till they get lightly browned.
6. Add in the tomatoes and sauté them till they soften.
7. Add the remaining garlic, ginger, and the turmeric powder. Stir everything well. If you want a spicier pulao, you could also throw in 1 tsp of chilli powder.
8. Add the prawns and fry these for around 2 minutes with continuous stirring.
9. Add the strained rice, the green peas, ½ tsp salt, the stock cube, and the sour lime juice.
10. Stir everything for around 2 minutes, and then add in the coconut milk and the water. Stir again.
11. Taste the liquid and add salt as needed.
12. If using a pressure pan, fix the lid on, and once the steam starts getting released from the steam vent, put on the vent weight and let the pan come to full pressure. Lower the heat, let the pulao cook for 5 minutes, and then turn off the heat.
13. Once the pressure drops, fluff up the pulao with a fork and serve it.

Enjoy!