Ingredients:
1 kg basmati rice
a pinch of saffron
1/2 tsp jalebi color
juice of 1 lemon
8 tbsp oil
3 large onions, chopped
8 cloves
8 flakes garlic
1 tsp jeera (ground to paste)
2 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp dhaniya-jeera powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
4 green chillies, cut lengthwise
1 kg prawns, shelled
3 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp brwon vinegar
salt to taste
4 tbsp ghee
a handful of dhaniya, chopped for garnishing
4 hard-boiled eggs, halved
Onion slices, to serve
Method:
Parboil the rice in salted water. Drain and set aside. Add the saffron, jalebi color and lemon juice to the rice.
Heat oil in a large pan. Grind the cloves and garlic to a paste. add the onions, cloves-garlic paste, jeera, chilli powder, dhania-jeera powder, turmeric powder and green chillies. Add washed and lightly squeezed prawns and fry for five minutes. Add tomatoes, sugar, vinegar and salt and simmer till the prawns are cooked.
To assemble the pillau, grease a broad pan (dekchi) with ghee. Add a layer of rice, layer of prawns mix and another layer of rice on top. Melt the remaining ghee and pour over rice. Cover the dekchi and let the pillau cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander and eggs. Serve with onion slices.