Shrimp Pilaf / Shrimp with rice recipe / Lunch ideas / easy recipe

Shrimp pilaf  is shrimp with a very aromatic rice and  the easiest to put together for a Sunday lunch.

I am so excited to reveal the contents of the parcel I had asked u guys to guess last week  :).
Here is the prize  my blog won for Story telling with food  event by  The Big Sweet Tooth.
The books I received are  The Complete Photo Guide to Cake Decorating and Quick-fix Indian.
The winning entry is Baked fish with Kerala masala.

As I was reading thru Rafee's 100th post I would have reached somewhat the middle of it  and there I was seeing my name  I was like what!!! some sort of brain freeze was going on.. seriously! I read it may be three times  ... I mean commo..on I have never received a gift from someone I have not met.
I must say Rafee went out of the way in shelling out lavishly on me and pampering me.So sweet of her.Thank You so much dear for taking all the pain of shipping it this far I really appreciate your efforts.So this post dedicated to you.

This recipe comes from Quick- fix Indian by Ruta Kahate.
This book is written in a lighthearted  manner allowing ample substitution for  ingredients .I have fallen in love with some of her really quick fix ones so stay tuned.
 I have never used poppy seed and always thought that went into making "Bhang ":)  (intoxicating drink ) But I wanted to stick with the recipe so went ahead  and bought some. It did add a nutty flavor to the rice.
I have given the original recipe and bracketed all the changes I made.I used rice cooker to cook rice and directly cooked without frying in Ghee.

Ingredients: Serves 4

Basmathi rice - 2 cups
Shrimp - 1 pound /  1/2 kg (peeled and deveined ) I used Jumbo sized shrimp
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Chili powder / Cayenne -1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Whole cardamom pods-8 (I used 5)
Whole cloves- 8  ( I used 4)
Cinnamon stick- 4 inch piece ( I used a small piece)
Poppy seeds - 1 tsp
Melted Ghee- 5 tbsp ( I used veg oil )
Onion 1- 1 finely sliced
Water- 31/2 cups
Green chili / serrano- 2 chopped
Shredded coconut - 2 tbsp ( Unsweetened )

Method :

1.Wash and soak the rice.
2.Marinate the shrimp  with turmeric powder ,chili powder and salt.Keep aside.(I used 1 tsp ginger garlic paste too)
3.Dry roast the cardamom,cloves ,cinnamon and finally poppy seed. only until they are lightly browned and aromatic. When it is cool  powder it.
4.Heat a pan add 3 tbsp ghee and fry onion until golden brown add drained rice and fry until well coated with ghee.Add powdered spice ,salt and stir for a minute .Pour water bring it to boil.Turn down heat  to low and cook until rice is done-about 13 minutes.

Alternatively for non greasy rice - Dump soaked rice (I did not fry the rice), powdered spice,salt and required water in a rice cooker with 1 tsp veg oil.I fried onions separately and mixed along with cooked rice int the end.

5.Meanwhile ,heat the remaining 2 tbsp ghee in a small skillet and add the shrimp and chilies Saute gently until shrimp curls, becomes tender and cooked.Set aside.(See notes)

6.When the rice is fully cooked carefully stir in the shrimp .Cover and let it sit for 5 minutes for the flavors to come together Serve garnished with coconut.

Serve with Beet Raita and Cilantro and pickle. Will post the beet raita soon it was really yummy.

Note:

Make sure to get brown or natural poppy seeds,not the blue black ones ,or pilaf will look odd.

Do not skip dry roasting as grinding poppy seeds becomes impossible.

Use nonstick pan to fry shrimp in 2 -3 tsp oil. Fry in batches.


How to check if shrimp is cooked : (For beginners)
Do not over crowd the pan with shrimp to finish in one go. Fry on medium heat.After about 4 -5 minutes the shrimp begins to curl .Use a fork and gently press on the edge of a piece it should be tender and fall apart easily if it is slightly firm leave it for another minute or two only.Remove from heat to prevent further cooking. Do not leave it unattended  the shrimp will become tough and hard to chew.

Do let me know if u liked it .
Meena