Pressure Cooker Shrimp Biryani
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2cups basmati rice
- 2teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1onion, chopped
- 1Serrano chile, minced
- 2tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- 1tablespoon minced garlic
- 2teaspoons kosher salt
- 1teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder
- 1teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1teaspoon smoked paprika
- 10fresh curry leaves, torn into pieces
- 1½cups boiling water
- 1½pounds jumbo shrimp (16 to 20 or fewer per pound, see note), peeled and deveined
- 1(15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
- 2teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice, plus more wedges for serving
- ½cup chopped fresh cilantro
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
365 calories; 3 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 56 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 28 grams protein; 784 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Place the rice in a bowl and cover with 2 cups water. Let stand for 20 minutes, then drain and rinse.
- Step 2
Heat oil in the pot of an electric pressure cooker with the sauté function set on high, until oil is shimmering. Add onion; cook for about 4 minutes, until softened. Stir in Serrano chile, ginger, garlic, salt, chile powder, turmeric, paprika and curry leaves; cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Step 3
Stir in boiling water; using a wooden spoon, stir, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Stir in soaked rice, shrimp and tomatoes (with juice).
- Step 4
Secure the lid and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. Quick-release the pressure, stir lime juice into the rice, then cover the pressure cooker with a kitchen towel and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Step 5
Give rice a stir, then taste and add more salt, if needed. Transfer to a platter, garnish with cilantro and serve with lime wedges on the side.
- Make sure to use jumbo shrimp or larger for this recipe. Look for “16/20” or “U/15” on the package; this indicates how many shrimp there are per pound.
Private Notes
Comments
Double the water or the tomatoes: My Instant Pot gave me a "Burn" error because there wasn't enough liquid to create a pressure seal.
Technically, this dish should be called Pulao (which is basically Pilaf) since the curry and rice are mixed together and cooked. In a Biryani on the other hand, the par boiled rice are LAYERED with the sauce, and cooked on low heat on a stove top or baked in an oven.
I halved this delightful recipe and made a few changes, as follows: 1) I didn't have fresh curry leaves, so I used curry powder (approx. 1.5 tsp) 2) I didn't have fresh limes, so I used leaves from my (indoor, potted) lime tree. Delicious! 3) Shrimp is expensive and I am a millennial who can't afford avocado toast, so I only put in 8 (frozen) shrimp for my 1 cup of rice, but then I added a healthy handful of cashews for more oomph. Would be easy to make vegan with tofu & nuts!
Second time through tonight with notes on a few more needed modifications. For those who have asked, you must use boiling water to prevent the shrimp from overcooking as the pressure cooker gets up to temp, but you need more of it. Usually I use a 2:1 ratio of water to rice when stove cooking basmati, but with the pre-soak and tomatoes (I used crushed), I did 3:2 tonight and it was perfect. But the dish needs more flavor. Biryanis are often cooked with additional whole spices (especially cardamom and cloves), and none of those flavors are here. Two teaspoons of garam masala, added with the chile and other spices, should do the trick. And to other reviewers’ point, curry leaves are unique and cannot be replaced with curry powder. I’d try a little more lime juice, some lime zest, and a bay leaf (ideally Indian!) if fresh curry leaves aren’t available.
Undercooked rice, overcooked shrimp :(
Good. Used 1 lb cooked shrimp, 1.25 cups rice, a little less than 1 tsp each of curry powder, chili powder, turmeric and paprika. Did all the frying on the stove, then transferred to instant pot.