Hi All, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.I had a very good weekend. If you love crab as well as biryani, you’d love this Crab Dum Biryani -Kerala Style Njandu Biryani
Biryani are one of my favorite one pot meal…Yes, I know I have said this millions times here.:) Even my husband and kids are very fond of biryani, so most of our sunday lunch will go for biryani. Crab Dum Biryani is one which in my to do list for ages…finally I tried and it turned well more than to my expectation, surely different from other biryani’s…Why? Star ingredient in this biryani is Kanthri Mulaku-Bird’s eye chilies (small, fiery white variety of chili pepper), which gives Crab dum biryani special flavor and I won’t deny that it would be spicy but trust me folks it’s gonna be heavenly! I made it with normal green chillies because, I couldn’t find bird’s-eye chilies (Kanthri Mulaku) anywhere here. If you get kanthri mulaku-bird’s eye chillies use them instead for a more delicious flavor.
And who do I have to thank? My friend & reader Mr.Arun, who shared this with me. I have already posted his chicken-kozhi thoran recipes. As I have mentioned before, he runs a resort in Wayanad, Kerala. So this crab dum biryani comes straight from his Mountain View Resort to you all. So here is the recipe
Other Biryani Recipes You Might Also Like :
Chicken Biryani – Pakistani Style
Pressure Cooker Chicken Biryani
Tapioca Biryani -Kappa Biryani
How to Clean the Crab :
1. Remove the top shell by holding the base of the crab with one hand and pull the shell away from the body with the other hand and turn the crab over and pull off the bottom part of the shell (flap like thing; the triangular-shaped section) and lift it away.
3. Remove the yellow layers in the cavity and keep the orange ones which is crab butter or crab egg seen in female crabs . Back home at Kerala, it’s called Ponnu. Some people use that crab butter /crab egg/ponnu in the gravy which gives thickness to the gravy. So set them aside if you like.
4. Twist off the legs and rinse the crab below running water to remove any other unwanted dirt from crab and break it in half.
How to make Crab Dum Biryani -Njandu-Crab Biryani Recipe – Kerala Style
Crab Dum Biryani-Njandu Biryani-Kerala Style
Ingredients
- For Crab Masala
- Soft Shell Blue Crab : 1 large size or Whole Dungeness Crab : 1 or large legs with claws. cleaned and cut into pieces
- Onion : 4 medium, thinly sliced
- Bird's Eye Chillie/Kanthari Mulaku : 4-6 or Green chillies : 8 or to your tolerance level (refer notes)
- Tomato : 1 medium, finely chopped
- Ginger : 1' pieces
- Garlic : 4 cloves big
- Yogurt : 1/4 cup
- Coconut Milk : 1/4 cup
- Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp
- Kashmiri Red chilli Powder : 1 tsp
- Mint leaves : 1/4 cup chopped
- Cilantro/Corainder leaves : 1/2 cup chopped
- Lime juice : 1 tsp
- Ghee /Oil : 2 tbsp
- For Rice :
- Basmati rice : 2 cups
- Water : 4 cups
- Cloves : 4 nos
- Cardamom pods : 3 nos
- Cinnamon stick : 2 1" pieces
- Bay leaves : 1 optional
- Lemon juice : 1 tsp
- Salt to taste
- For Garnishing :
- Ghee : 3 tbsp
- Onion : 1/2 cup thinly sliced
- Cashew nuts : Handful
- Raisins : Handful
- Coriander leaves : Handful finely chopped
- Mint leaves : Handful finely chopped
- Pineapple Pieces : 2 tbsp finely, chopped
- Rose essence : 1 tsp mixed in 1 tbsp water
- Saffron : coupled of pinches mixed in 3 tbsp warm milk
- For Sealing :
- Wheat flour / All purpose flour : 11/2 cups
- Water required
Instructions
- How to cook Crab Masala :
- Make a paste of garlic,ginger, 2 to 3 bird's eye chillie/kanthari mulaku (or) 4 green chillies and set aside.
- Heat a Ghee/Oil in the frying pan and add thinly sliced onion, remaining 2 bird's eye chillie/kanthari mulaku (or) 4 green chillies and saute until it is translucent,
- Add the ginger,garlic,green chilli paste, little chopped mint leaves; saute until it give off their aroma and begin to get slightly darker.
- Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt to taste and combine well until the raw smell is gone.
- Add yogurt and mix well; now add cleaned crab and coconut milk. Combine everything together, adjust the salt.If the masala turns dry then add little more of coconut milk.
- Cover and cook on low-medium flame for 15-20 minutes or until the gravy becomes little thick and crab cooked through.
- Optional - Add crab egg/ponnu (if your using it) and boil it for couple of minutes and remove the gravy from the heat.
- How to cook the Rice:
- Soak the rice for 20 mins and drain keep it aside.
- In a thick bottom vessel, add the ghee/oil to it.Add the whole spices; cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and bay leaves to the pan and saute for a min.
- Add the drained rice and saute for few minutes. Add the required warm water to the rice
- Add the little lemon juice and cook the rice at high; heat till the water starts boil and cover the lid.
- Now reduce the heat to low and cook till for 8-10 mins;You have to par cook the rice- 3/4 cooked and rest will get cooked during dum. (Note : Do not over boil the rice.To check if the rice is done you can take a grain of rice out and press in between your thumb and forefinger. If the grain breaks into 3 parts, it means your rice is cooked just right.)
- When 3/4th rice cooked; drain the excess water immediately and spread it out on a flat tray/plate, sprinkle the lime juice and set it aside.
- For Garnish :
- Heat ghee and fry the thinly sliced onion till golden color and crispy for about 15 minutes; sprinkle little sugar to caramelize, remove and drain on to the paper towel.
- Now fry cashews and then raisins until they turn golden color, drain and remove on to the paper towel and keep it aside. (Note : Save the leftover ghee for layering the biryani)
- Now it is time for Dum
- Dum is the process of layering the crab and rice, then slow cooking it by sealing the vessel with a layer of dough, and is cooked on dum; steaming over coals. Since we do not have coals here is alternative ways to do it.
- Cooking in Oven :
- Preheat oven to 350 degree F/180 degree C.
- Meanwhile make a dough out of the wheat flour/maida with little water, the same way you would do it for chapati and set it aside.
- In a oven proof dish, grease your cooking dish with ghee and spread crab masala and with cooked rice.
- Sprinkle fried cashews, raisins, fried onions, chopped pineapple pieces,chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves,sprinkle left over ghee and few drops of saffron milk and 1 tsp of the rose essence over the rice.
- Close with tight fitting heat resistant lid; seal the edges of the lid with above prepared dough. (Note : There should not be even the slightest opening.) (or) if you don't prefer sealing it with dough, then close it with aluminium foil, crimp along the side and and bake it for 15-20 mins.
- When it is done, remove and keep the dish covered until serving.
- Cooking in Stove top :
- Place flat cast iron skillet or tawa on the lowest burner of your stove. The flame should be at the lowest setting.
- To the crab masala and layer the cooked rice;sprinkle fried cashews, raisins, fried onions, chopped pineapple pieces,chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves,sprinkle left over ghee and few drops of saffron milk and 1 tsp of the rose essence over the rice.
- Close with tight fitting heat resistant lid; seal the edges of the lid with above prepared dough. (Note : Do not let any steam escape) and place the biryani vessel on top of the iron skillet or tawa and cook on low heat for 15 mins and turn off the flame.
- Let it rest unopened on tawa for another 15 mins and break open the seal; now dum is also done.
- Serve hot with Raita, Pickle or Biryani Chammanthi and Pappadam on the side and Enjoy!
Notes
Bird's eye chillie variety is twice as hot of normal green chillies, so use as per your tolerance level.
Always sprinkle corainder and mint leaves as final layer over the rice, which makes the biryani taste more flavorful.
Give a try folks, you will definitely love this flavorful Crab Dum Biryani– Kerala Style Njandu Biryani. Enjoy! Don’t forget to share your feedback.
Catch you with more yummy updates,
Sangeetha
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Thanks Divya for stopping by and taking time to drop lovely comments:)
Cheers!
Sangeetha
You're welcome Nima, Do revert to me with feedback if you try! I do hope you like it…
Regards,
Sangeetha
Thanks Shamsheeda! Do try this when you find time,its really a good one for sure.
Cheers!
Sangeetha
This is really really yumm.. Cant stop drooling.
Thank you for sharing this recipie Sangeetha. I have never thought of crab biriyani eventhough crab is a regular thing in my house. I should try this after the lent…looks yummy…i'm sure it will taste yummy..
I love biryanis 🙂 Never had crab biryani thou… i know this is gona sound silly but im a bit scared to touch it… my hubby usually has to separate the white meat for me 😛
Awesome clicks and presentation!!
http://coloursofourworld.blogspot.ae/
Thanks Navya! Hope you get to try it sometime.
Cheers!
Sangeetha
Looks so yummy and spicy…I'm drooling..
Navya