Prawn Pulao

1 cup rice
500 grams prawn (cleaned, shelled and deviened)
1 tsp saffron strands
1 tbisp milk
4 medium-sized onions piece ginger
4 green chillies
3 flakes garlic
12 mint leaves
2 handfuls coriander leaves
1 tblsp poppy seeds
1 cup curd
4 cloves
2 large cardamoms
2 piece cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
a large pinch each of nutmeg and mace
1 tblsp garam masala
1 tblsp each of powdered
coriander and cumin seeds
salt and chi/li powder to taste
a few tblsps ghee
a little flour
25 grams each of almonds. and pistachios (blanched and fried)
25 grams raisins
2 hard-boiled eggs (shelled and sliced thin)

METHOD:

Dissolve the saffron in a tblsp of hot milk. Slice two of the onions into thin rings and fry till crisp and brown. Grind the remaining onions, ginger, chillies, garlic, mint, coriander leaves and poppy-seeds to a paste. Mix the paste into the- curd, along with the prawns, fried onions and all the spices. and salt. Set aside for 1 hour. Half-boil rice in salted water and then drain out the water completely. Set aside.

Now pour the prawn mixture into a heavy-bottomed pan. Cover tight, and cook over a slow fire till almost dry. Remove fro m fire. Grease well a heavy-bottomed vessel and arrange in it a layer of the rice. Over this arrange a layer of the prawn mixture. Sprinkle a little of the saffron on top, along with a tblsp of melted ghee. In this way, arrange the rice and prawn mixture in layers, sprinkling saffron and hot ghee in between. Remember to start and finish with a layer of rice. Now pour 4 tblsps of smoking hot ghee over the whole and cover the vessel tight. Seal with flour dough. Cook over a slow fire for 30 minutes. Garnish with the nuts, raisins and eggs.