Kerala Recipes

Here is another recipe for Fish Biriyani. I have not fried the fish fillets in this recipe. Instead, the fish is cooked in a spicy Biriyani Masala Gravy and then baked along with rice. I have used King Fish (Ney Meen) for this Biriyani. Even if the fish is not fried in oil, it will not break as long as you are using thick fish fillets. I tried making Fish Biriyani in a Pressure Cooker but it ended up being mushy. So, I prefer to bake my Biriyani in the oven. Baking Biriyani is always fool proof and the rice remains separate and fluffy.

Spicy Fish Biryani

You can check out my previous recipe for Fish Biriyani here.

Ingredients

For the Rice

1. Long grain Basmati rice – 2 cups
2. Oil – 1 tsp
3. Biriyani Masala Powder – 1/2 tsp
4. Water – as required
5. Salt – to taste

For the Biriyani Masala Gravy

1. Thinly sliced Onions  – 2 medium sized
2. Diced Tomatoes – 2 large
3. Slit Green Chillies – 4
4. Cinnamon – 1″ piece
5. Cloves – 4
6. Fennel Seeds – 1/2 tsp
7. Bay leaves – 2
8. Curry Leaves – A sprig
9. Cilantro, chopped – 1/4 cup
10. Mint leaves, chopped – 1/4 cup
11. Ginger Paste – 1 tbsp
12. Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp
13. Kashmiri Chilly Powder – 1 tsp
14. Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
15. Fish Masala Powder – 2 tbsp (Any brand, I used Eastern Fish Masala Powder)
16. Home Made Biriyani Masala Powder – 1 to 2 tsp
17. Yogurt – 1 Cup
18. Lemon Juice – 2 tbsp
19. Cashew Halves – 1/4 cup
20. Raisins – 1/4 cup
21. Salt- to taste
22. Ghee/Cooking oil – As required

For the Fish

1. King Fish or Seer Fish Slices (Medium Sized) – 1 lb (Around 8 pieces)
2. Lemon Juice – 1 tbsp

For Marinating the Fish

1. Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
2. Fish Masala Powder – 1 tbsp
3. Chilly Powder – 1 tsp
4. Pepper Powder – 1/2 tsp
5. Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
6. Ginger Paste – 1 tbsp
7. Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp
8. Lemon Juice – 1 tbsp
9. Salt – to taste

Kerala Fish Biriyani

Method

1. Soak Basmathi rice in water for around 45 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Clean the king fish fillets thoroughly and soak it in water along with 1 tbsp lemon juice for around 10 minutes. This will remove any unwanted smell from the fish.
3. Make a marinade using the above ingredients and rub it nicely on the fish slices. Refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
4. Boil the Basmati rice in atleast 6-8 cups of water with a little salt, 1/2 tsp biryani masala and 1 tsp oil, till each grain is separate and 3/4 cooked but not fully cooked. Add more water, if needed so that the rice doesn’t stick together. Drain excess water and keep the rice aside.
5. Heat a big non stick pan or wok and add 3 tablespoons of oil or ghee.
6. Fry cashews and raisins until the cashews are lightly brown and the raisins become plump. Keep aside.
7. Throw in fennel seeds, cinnamon, bay leaves and cloves. Saute for 2 minutes.
8. Then add onions and saute till they are translucent.
9. Add the slit green chillies, curry leaves, chopped cilantro and mint leaves. Saute until the onions begin to brown.
10. Next, add the chopped tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes are pulpy and mashed.
11. Add the ginger and garlic paste and fry for a minute.
12. Reduce heat and add 1-2 tsp of biriyani masala powder, 1 tbsp fish masala powder, 1 tsp kashmiri chilly powder and 1/4 tsp turmeric and saute for a minute.
13. Blend 1 cup of yogurt with little water and add it to the pan along with salt and mix well. Allow it to simmer for a while.
14. Add the marinated fish fillets to the masala gravy and mix gently. Cover and cook on medium heat for around 10 minutes. Keep the masala gravy aside.
15. Meanwhile preheat oven to 350 degree F. Apply some ghee or oil on a baking dish. Layer it with the semi cooked rice and the fish masala gravy alternatively. Sprinkle lemon juice in between.
16. Cover with an aluminuim foil and bake for 30 minutes.
17. Garnish with fried cashews and raisins. It’s best to keep the biriyani for at least 4 hours before serving so that all flavors are absorbed.
18. Serve the Fish Biriyani with Raitha, Pickle and Pappad.

Biriyani Masala Ingredients

If you are in a hurry, you can use any good store bought biriyani masala powder which is readily available like Eastern Biriyani Masala. Generally, the ingredients of such ready made masala powders would be the following: Coriander, Bay Leaf, Chilly, Black Pepper, Turmeric, Aniseed, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Salt, Cloves, Nutmeg, Cumin. You can make Biriyani Maslaa at home. Here is the recipe for home made ground Biryani masala.

Related posts:

1. Simple Fish Biriyani
2. Chicken Biryani
3. Kerala Fish Fry
4. Kerala Style Baked Fish
5. Simple Kerala Fish Curry