Fish Biryani

About this Recipe...

I love to eat fish and Fish Biryani is one of my favorite Biryani preparation. It doesn't require much preparation beforehand and doesn't take much time to cook. Biryani is a rice based dish which is flavored with spices, herbs, yogurt  and cooked with meat, seafood or simply veggies. There are so many different variations of cooking biryani. In different regions, the cooking process differs from one to another.
This recipe is one of the simplest method of cooking fish biryani. Here I have used salmon fish fillets to cook this biryani, you can use any fish of your choice. So here is my simple and delicious fish biryani recipe which has unique taste. I hope you will love this recipe as much as I did.

Ingredients

For Marination

• Fish fillets cut into small pieces
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Black pepper powder
• 1 tsp Red chilli powder
• 2 tsp Lemon juice
• Salt as per taste
• Oil for frying the fish

Making Rice for Biriyani

• Basmati rice soaked in water for 1 hour
• 1 Tbsp Oil
• Salt as per taste
• 1 tsp Shah jeera or black cumin
• 2-3 Bay leaf
• 2 Pieces Cinnamon stick
• 3 Pieces Cardamom
• 5-6 Black pepper corn
• 4-5 Cloves

For layering the biriyani

• 1 Tbsp Ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp Garlic paste
• 1 tsp Green chilli paste
• 4-5 Slitted green chili
• 2 Tbsp Yogurt
• Salt as per taste
• 3 Tbsp Oil
• 1 Tbsp Biriyani masala
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• 2 tsp Red chilli powder
• 2 tsp Cumin powder
• 2 tsp Coriander powder
• 1 tsp Black pepper powder
• One medium size onion freied
• 1 handful Chopped mint and coriander leaves
• Saffron soaked in warm milk
• 1 Tbsp Clarified butter
• 1 tsp Garam masala powder
• 2 Tbsp Lemon juice

Directions

1. First of all marinate the fish pieces with all the spices, salt and lemon juice and keep in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. After 30 minutes take oil n a pan, when oil becomes hot lightly fry the fish pieces and keep aside.
3. While frying the fish take another vessel, boil water on that, add salt, oil and all the whole garam spices and cook the soaked basmati rice till it is 80% cooked.
4. Now on the same pan where you fried fish pieces, take some more oil and add ginger-garlic-green chili paste and sauté it for 30 seconds.
5. Now add yogurt and all the other spices including salt and biriyani masala and fry it, if required then add some water.
6. Now add half of the fried onions and chopped mint-coriander leaves, add the lemon juice and mix everything with the spices.
7. Now take 2 tbsp of that cooked spices from the pan and mixed it with the fish pieces. Now add your 80% cooked rice and layer it in the pan over the spices. On top of the rice add the fish pieces which is coated with the cooked spices.
8. Now add the remaining fried onions, saffron soaked milk and clarified butter on top and cover the lid for 10 minutes in medium flame and next 10 minutes in slow flame and the last 5 minute in sim. So total after 25 minutes switch off the flame and give a rest of another 10-15 minutes before opening the lid of the pan.
   Open the lid when you are ready to serve, and serve it hot with your favorite raita.
   
   Notes:
   1. You can use any fish fillets of your choice, here I have used salmon.
   2. You need to cook the biriyani in dam so use a lid which is close tightly so that the steam can't come outside or you can close the lid of the pan with aata dough.