Bridging the divide - Shrimp Pulao

It has been brought to my attention by two avid readers of this blog (that would be my husband and my brother but I still take them seriously :-)) that I have been partial to vegetarian food on this blog. And it is true, there are only two non vegetarian recipes compared to some fifty vegetarian ones. How did this happen? For sure I was making seafood and meat dishes at home; I just didn't blog about them for some reason. Well it's time to bridge this widening gap, because in my family we love our seafood. Too many days without it and we get get restless!

Since red chillies and coconut are the most commonly used ingredients in any Konkani masala, this pulao makes a refreshing change with its base of cilantro and green chillies. This 'hirwa' (green) masala is super versatile; you can make a big batch, store it in the freezer and use as required in a variety of dishes. I use it in shrimp curry, stuffed fish (like patrani macchi) and with a slight variation, in a mixed vegetable curry that I will post soon because I do not want to alienate my vegetarian readers entirely!

This pulao can be made with a lot of variations; you can add some grated coconut to the cilantro masala while grinding, you can add a little coconut milk to cook the rice along with water, you can use carrots instead of peas...whatever strikes your fancy.

KOLAMBI BHAAT (Shrimp Pulao with Peas)
(serves 2-3)
For pulao -
1 1/2 cups Basmati rice
1/2 cup green peas
2 large onions, finely chopped
a pinch of turmeric
15-20 medium size shrimp
salt to taste
lemon juice
oil
For masala -
1 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2-3 green chillies (don't use too many since the whole garam masala adds heat as well)
1" piece of cinnamon
1 black cardamom
2-3 cloves
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp black cumin seeds (shah jeera, or substitute cumin)
2-3 peppercorns
1 small bunch of cilantro (discard tough stems and use the rest)
10-12 mint leaves
For garnish -
finely chopped cilantro and grated coconut

Wash, peel and devein shrimp. Place on a kitchen towel and pat dry. Sprinkle salt and lemon juice over top and keep aside.

Wash rice in 2-3 changes of water. Grind all ingredients for masala into a fine paste using very little water.

In a dutch oven or sauce pan heat about 3 tablespoons of oil. Add onion and saute till it turns reddish brown. Add the ground masala and saute till it loses its moisture. Next add shrimp and stir for about 2 minutes. (Don't saute shrimp for too long as they become chewy).

Add rice, peas and turmeric and season to taste. Mix well, taking care not to break the grain. Add 2 3/4 cups of water and bring to a boil on medium heat. Then lower heat, cover and cook until water has almost evaporated.

Place a griddle (tawa) over flame, then rest sauce pan over griddle. Cover and cook till rice is done. This prevents rice from sticking to the pan as well as cooks the pulao on 'dum' (steam). Garnish with chopped cilantro and coconut and serve hot.

Tags: kolambi prawns rice shrimp indian green masala pilaf sungta