Spicy Shrimp Biriyani

I love to eat shrimp and it is one of my favorite seafood. Wanted to eat shrimp but was bored of making side dishes with it all the time and so tried this recipe for lunch today and it tasted a lot like dumm biriyani.My husband was in love with it and my son loved it too It is very easy to make and can be made with vegetables,chicken or mutton or anything of choice. This recipe can be made for a big group of people too.

Ingredients:-
Shrimp - medium size (1 lb)
Onion - 1 big sliced thin
Tomato - 1 sliced thin
Green chilies - 3 chopped fine
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Bay leaves - 2 nos
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Cloves - 5 nos
Cardamom - 3 nos
Pepper corns - a few
Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp
Peas - a small cup
Cilantro - a small bunch
Mint leaves - a handful
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1.5 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Ghee 3 tbsp
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp
Basmati rice - 1.5 cups (this quantity will serve 2-3 people)
Tandoori color - a pinch mixed in a tsp of water
Saffron - a few soaked in warm water

Method:-
1. Wash rice and soak for 10mins. In a kadai pour 1tbsp of ghee and when hot add the bay leaves and the soaked rice without the water. Fry for a few minutes and then add a little salt and then cook it with 3 cups of water and keep it aside
2. In a non -stick kadai pour the cooking oil and the balance ghee and when hot add the cinnamon,cloves,cardamom,pepper and when doen add the fennel seeds.
3. Add the chopped greenchilies followed by the sliced onions and let it cook and become pink
4. Now put the tomato, turmeric powder,chili powder and coriander powder and stir it well
5. Coarsely grind the cilantro and mint leaves together.There is no need to add water.
6. Once the raw smell is gone add the peas and the ground cilantro and mint and let it cook
7. When the masala is well done add the shrimp and salt and allow it to cook completely
8. Preheat the oven to 350degrees
9.In an oven safe bowl or deep vessel layer the rice first followed by the masala, then rice again and so on.
10.Remember that the rice has to be the last layer on the top or else the masala will become dry.
11.Pour the tandoori color and the saffron color on top all around, so that the color will settle here and there and not on all the rice.
12.Cover with aluminium foil and place it in the oven fo r10 - 15mins and then remove it and let it rest for a while before mixing it.Better still mix it just before serving.
13.Serve it with raita or any other side dish of choice.
P.S. - if u r using mutton make sure you use a pressure cooker.