No Kidding! I love King fish biryani more than chicken or mutton biryani…
First, let’s talk a bit about King fish as it is quite unheard of in North America. King fish is a sea fish that is found in the Indian ocean and is very popular in Southern India. I personally think it is the most tastiest fish. It is an expensive fish and is often served in many fine dining restaurants in India. So where do you buy this fish? You can find king fish in some of the Indian stores (call ahead to check – sometimes they can get it for you even if they don’t carry) and in Asian supermarkets.
I grew up eating biryani, chicken/mutton biryani being often made by my mom. Once in a while, when she gets hold of fresh king fish, she would surprise us with king fish biryani.
I love fish fry and so while starting to make any fish dishes my first thought would be to “fry it”. I always wish if I could find a way to fry the fish without using oil and still get the same taste. Grilling does help to some extent, but it just cannot replace frying. Good thing about this biryani is that I fried the fish first and then made the fish masala with it. So, I get to taste the fried fish along with the biryani.
If you haven’t yet tasted king fish biryani, it’s big time you make this biryani and you’ll be surprised on how your taste buds go crazy.
Cooking Video
King fish Biryani
Ingredients:
For marinating the fish
- King fish- 10 pieces
- Chili powder- 2 tsp (for less heat add Kashmiri chili powder)
- Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
- Fennel powder- 1 tsp
- Coriander powder- 1 tbsp
- Lemon juice- 2 tbsp
- Curry leaves- 1 sprig
- Salt- 1 tsp
- Water- 2 tbsp
For frying fish
- Coconut Oil- enough for frying
To grind:
- Garlic- 3 large cloves
- Ginger- 2 inch slice
- Small onions- 6
- Green chilies- 2 to 4 (based on your heat level)
- Whole Cardamom- 2
- Cloves- 1
- Cinnamon- 1 inch slice
For making Kingfish masala
- Oil used for frying fish- 2 tbsp
- Coconut oil- 2 tbsp
- Onion, large cut thin and long- 4
- Salt- 1 tsp
- Curry leaves- 1 sprig
- Tomatoes, chopped- 2
- Kashmiri or regular chili powder- 1 tsp
- Fennel powder- 1/2 tsp
- Coriander powder- 1 tsp
- Yogurt (not sour)- 3 tbsp
For cooking rice
- Basmati rice- 2 cups (soaked & rinsed)
- Ghee- 1 tbsp
- Dried bay leaves- 2
- Whole cardamoms- 2
- Water- 3 1/2 cups
- Salt- 1 tsp
For garnishing
- Fried onions- 1 Onion, cut thin and long and fried in oil till golden brown.
- Cilantro, chopped- 1/4 cup
- Mint, chopped- 1/4 cup
Instruction
- Clean the king fish steaks under running water, if the fish is large sized, you can cut into medium-sized pieces.
- To a bowl add the spices mentioned for ‘marinating the fish’ & make into a thick & smooth paste.
- Spread the marinade all over the fish, let marinate for 30 minutes.
- Shallow fry the fish in enough oil till golden in color. Avoid over frying the fish, Keep aside on a paper towel.
- Place a large sauce pan over medium heat, add 2 tbsp of the oil that’s left after frying fish- it’s very flavourful & add 2 tbsp coconut oil.
- Add sliced onions along with curry leaves and 1/2 tsp salt, saute till the onions turn translucent.
- Grind- garlic, ginger, small onions, green chilies, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon to a coarse paste.
- When the onions turn soft, add the ground paste, saute for a few minutes.
- Cook till onions turn golden brown in color.
- Add chopped tomatoes and cook covered till tomatoes have mashed up.
- Add chili powder, fennel powder and coriander powder and 1/2 tsp salt; combine well.
- Add the fried fish and gently combine everything.
- Add beaten yogurt (take the yogurt in a bowl & beat well using a spoon or fork), combine well, cook covered for 5 minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat and keep it covered.
Cooking Rice:
- Soak 2 cups basmati rice in 3 cups water for 15 minutes.
- Strain the soaked basmati rice to a large strainer & rinse under running water till the water turns clear.
- Place a saucepan over medium heat, add ghee.
- Add dried bay leaves & cardamoms, saute for a few seconds.
- Add the soaked & rinsed rice, roast for 2 minutes.
- Add warm water, for 2 cups rice I’ve added 3 1/2 cups water to cook over stove top.
- Add 1 tsp salt, while cooking rice the rice has to be salted well, else the biryani will taste bland.
- Close with the lid & cook covered for 12 minutes till the rice has turned fluffy, don’t over cook the rice it will turn mushy.
- Take the pan off the heat & keep it covered.
How to layer the rice and fish masala:
- In a biryani pot or a large saucepan/wok, spread half of the fish masala as the first layer.
- Top with half of the rice as the second layer.
- Sprinkle chopped cilantro, mint leaves and fried onions.
- Again repeat layering with fish masala, rice, finally top it with cilantro, mint leaves and fried onions.
- Close the pan tightly with aluminum foil and then with its lid.
- Place the pan over low flame and cook for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, take the pan off the heat and keep it covered for 15 minutes.
- While serving, gently combine the rice and fish masala together, serve on a plate along with raita and pickle,enjoy!
Tips:
- Adjust the spice level according to your needs, if you like it spicy increase the amount of chili powder or green chilies accordingly.
- This biryani, in fact all biryanis taste better when it’s allowed to rest for sometime, it would taste even more better the next day.
King Fish Biryani - South Indian Style
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Thasneen
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 5 people
Ingredients
For marinating the fish
- King fish- 10 large pieces
- Chili powder- 2 tsp (for less heat add Kashmiri chili powder)
- Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
- Fennel powder- 1 tsp
- Coriander powder- 1 tbsp
- Lemon juice- 2 tbsp
- Curry leaves- 1 sprig
- Salt- 1 tsp
- Water- 2 tbsp
For frying fish
- Coconut Oil- enough for frying
To grind
- Garlic- 3 large cloves
- Ginger- 2 inch slice
- Small onions- 6
- Green chilies- 2 to 4 (based on your heat level)
- Whole Cardamom- 2
- Cloves- 1
- Cinnamon- 1 inch slice
For making King fish masala
- Oil used for frying fish- 2 tbsp
- Coconut oil- 2 tbsp
- Onions, sliced thin- 4, large-sized
- Salt- 1 tsp
- Curry leaves- 1 sprig
- Tomatoes, chopped- 2
- Kashmiri or regular chili powder- 1 tsp
- Fennel powder- ½ tsp
- Coriander powder- 1 tsp
- Yogurt (not sour)- 3 tbsp
For cooking rice
- Basmati rice- 2 cups (soaked & rinsed)
- Ghee- 1 tbsp
- Dried bay leaves- 2
- Whole cardamoms- 2
- Water- 3½ cups
- Salt- 1 tsp
For garnishing
- Fried onions- 1 Onion, sliced and fried in oil till golden brown.
- Cilantro, chopped- ¼ cup
- Fresh mint leaves, chopped- ¼ cup
Instructions
- Clean the king fish under running water, if the fish is large sized, you can cut into medium-sized pieces.
- To a bowl, add the spices mentioned for 'marinating the fish', make into a thick smooth paste.
- Spread the marinade all over the fish, let marinate for 30 minutes.
- Shallow fry the fish in enough oil till golden in color. Avoid over frying the fish, Keep them aside on a paper towel.
Making king fish masala
- Place a large sauce pan over medium heat, add 2 tbsp of the oil that's left after frying fish- it's very flavourful & add 2 tbsp coconut oil.
- Add sliced onions along with curry leaves and ½ tsp salt, saute till the onions turn translucent.
- Grind- garlic, ginger, small onions, green chilies, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon to a coarse paste.
- When the onions turn soft, add the ground paste, saute for a few minutes.
- Cook till onions turn golden brown in color.
- Add chopped tomatoes and cook covered till tomatoes have mashed up.
- Add chili powder, fennel powder and coriander powder and ½ tsp salt; combine well.
- Add the fried fish and gently combine everything.
- Add beaten yogurt, combine well, cook covered for 5 minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat and keep it covered.
Cooking Rice
- Soak 2 cups basmati rice in 3 cups water for 15 minutes.
- Strain the soaked basmati rice to a large strainer & rinse under running water till the water turns clear.
- Place a saucepan over medium heat, add ghee.
- Add dried bay leaves & cardamoms, saute for a few seconds.
- Add the soaked & rinsed rice, roast for 2 minutes.
- Add warm water, for 2 cups rice I've added 3½ cups water to cook over stove top.
- Add 1 tsp salt, while cooking rice the rice has to be salted well, else the biryani will taste bland.
- Close with the lid & cook covered for 12 minutes till the rice has turned fluffy, don't over cook the rice it will turn mushy.
- Take the pan off the heat & keep it covered.
How to layer the rice and fish masala
- In a biryani pot or a large saucepan/wok, spread half of the fish masala as the first layer.
- Top with half of the cooked rice as the second layer.
- Sprinkle chopped cilantro, mint leaves and fried onions.
- Again repeat layering with fish masala, rice, finally top it with cilantro, mint leaves and fried onions.
- Close the pan tightly with aluminum foil and then with its lid.
- Place the pan over low flame and cook for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, take the pan off the heat and keep it covered for 15 minutes.
- While serving, gently combine the rice and fish masala together, serve on a plate along with raita and pickle.
- This is an absolutely delicious biryani with king fish, enjoy.
Notes
Adjust the spice level according to your needs, if you like it spicy increase the amount of chili powder or green chilies accordingly.
This biryani, in fact all biryanis taste better when it sits for sometime, it would taste even more better the next day.
This biryani, in fact all biryanis taste better when it sits for sometime, it would taste even more better the next day.
