Fish biryani

Delicious fish biryani, loaded with flavoursome spices is the perfect delicacy to serve at a lunch party. The flavour and aroma of the briyani will be enhanced if fresh fish is used instead of frozen ones. The dish goes well with cucumber raita or refreshing mint chutney.

Ingredients
1 kg seer fish
250 gms onion (thinly sliced)
200 gms vegetable oil
50 gms ghee
4 tsp cashews
4 tsp raisins
For the masala
½ kg onion 
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
10 dried chillies (crushed)
2 tbsp yogurt
A piece of ginger (crushed)
2 tomatoes (diced)
10 gms coriander leaves
2 bunches mint leaves
2 tsp biryani masala
1 tsp fennel powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
For the marinade:
2 tsp chilli powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
¼ cup coconut oil
1 kg biryani rice
10 cardamom pods
6 cloves
1 cardamom stick
Salt to taste

Preparation
Clean the fish pieces
Heat vegetable oil and ghee in a pan
Add the thinly sliced onions and fry to crisp
Keep it aside
Fry the cashews and raisins in the same pan and keep it aside
Into the same pan, add onions, garlic, dried chillies, yogurt, ginger, tomato, coriander and mint leaves
Sauté well
Add the biryani masala, fennel powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder
Roast well until the masala turns aromatic
Marinate the fish pieces with chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt as required
Keep it aside for some time
Fry the fish in the coconut oil
In a biryani vessel (chembu), spread the previously prepared biryani masala
Place the fried fish over the masala
Add the rest of the masala on top of it
To cook the rice, boil 1 ½ cups of water for a cup of rice
Add the cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon stick and slat into the boiling water
Add the cleaned rice into it and cook
Drain the cooked rice
After 10 minutes, add half of the rice over the masala mixture in the biryani vessel
Spread the fried onions, cashews and raisins over it
Add the rest of the rice and top it off with some chopped coriander leaves
Sprinkle some coconut oil in which the fish was fried over it
Close the lid tightly and cook for 20 minutes in low flame
After half an hour, transfer the rice to a serving dish and place the fish pieces along with the masala on top of it
Tastes best when served hot.