Fish Biryani

Bengalis and fish are inseparable entities. At home we generally have fish almost everyday. So today decided to give it a twist. So prepared fish Biryani which was a hit at home. 

Ingredients 

7-8 pieces Rohu fish

For marinating tje fish

2 teaspoons lime juice 

Salt to taste 

1 teaspoon turmeric powder 

1 teaspoon chilli powder( Kashmiri mirch)

2 tablespoon rice flour

For gravy

4 tablespoons onion paste

2 teaspoons ginger paste

2 teaspoons green chilli paste 

2 tablespoons whisked curd 

A pinch of sugar

Salt to taste 

Turmeric powder 

Garam masala powder 

Chilli powder 

For rice 

2 cups basmati rice washed and soaked in water for half an hour 

2 bay leafs 

2-3 cinnamon sticks 

2-4 green cardamom 

1 teaspoon Shah jeera 

5-10 black peppercorns 

2-3 cloves 

Salt to taste 

For garnishing 

2 onions finely sliced for birista(crispy fried onions)

Chopped mint leaves 

Chopped coriander leaves 

Mustard oil for frying and cooking the fish 

Refined oil for Biryani 

2 teaspoon ghee for final garnishing 

How to cook

First marinate the fish with the mentioned ingredients and keep it aside for 15 mins. Now oil in a frying pan and shallow fry the fish until they are golden brown in color. Now pour oil in a pan and add a small amount of sliced onions and saute for few minutes. Now add the onion paste,  ginger paste, chilli paste, coriander powder, garam masala powder,turmeric powder, sugar and salt to taste. Mix well and let the masala fry for sometime. Now add the whisked curd and mix well so that the curd doesn't leave a white texture. Now add half cup water and bring it to boil. Then add the fried pieces of fish to it. Please remember we will need a thick gravy and not a running one for the Biryani.  Once the fish is done add some birista to it. Keep it aside. 

Now in a flat bottomed pan add refined oil and add bay leaves,  cinnamon sticks,  cardamom, shah jeera and let them splutter. Now add the soaked rice after draining the water properly.  Mix with a light hand so that the rice doesn't break. Now add 3 cups of warm water( or exactly the amount of water needed to boil the rice) to it and add salt. Cover it and let it boil. Once the rice is half done and water has almost dried up turn off the gas. Take out half portion of the rice from the pot and keep it aside for layering of Biryani. Now in 1st layer of rice add a layer of fish pieces with gravy. Sprinkle some amount of birista and other two garnishings. Repeat the process. In the final layer of rice, pour the ghee, birista and other garnishings. Cover it properly and check for gaps which needs to be sealed so that the aroma of the Biryani remains intact. Cook it on slow flame for 10-15 mins and your Biryani is ready.