Green Masala Shrimp Pulao, Quick and Easy Recipe

Last Updated on July 14, 2020 by Babita

Green Masala Shrimp Pulao is an easy and quick recipe that blends the aromatic herbs like coriander and mint leaves, spices to create a one-pot-meal which is delicious as well as fulfilling.

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I came up with this recipe because I wanted a one-pot-meal that I could make quickly. All I have to do is prepared a few basic ingredients — dump them all into a rice cooker or Instant pot and then 15 minutes later end up with an out of this world rice and shrimp dish.

What Size of Shrimp Should I use for this Pulao

Well, I like to use large shrimp or prawns for this recipe. If you go to any grocery stores make sure to buy any shrimp which is medium size ( 41/50 per lb) or medium-large ( 36/40 per lb). There is really no right or wrong shrimp for this recipe, but it is better to have shrimp large enough to eat on its own. I have used the medium shrimp for this recipe.

What Kind of Shrimp Should I use

If I was in India, I would have used the shrimp caught from the ocean. I find with ocean shrimps/prawns you can taste the sea and it has that perfect Umami flavor to it. However, here in NJ most of the shrimp that I can find are farm-raised. To bring about the kind of ocean shrimp/prawn flavor I add small dry shrimps which you can find in any Asian store. For this particular recipe, I have to mention that I like to use frozen ready to cook shrimps that have already been cleaned and deveined.

Ingredients for Green Masala Paste

• 1 1/2 cup coriander leaves
• 1/2 cup mint leaves
• 1 medium-size tomato
• 3 large garlic cloves
• 1″ piece of chopped ginger
• 1/2 tsp whole black pepper
• 6 green chilis (more if you want spicier)
• 1 small onion

Other Ingredients for Shrimp Pulao

• 3 cups basmati rice
• 1 1/2 lbs of headless shrimp (deveined)
• 1 tbsp of dry shrimps (optional)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp cloves
• 2 small pieces of cinnamon stick
• 2 tbsp of ghee
• 4 tbsp of oil
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• salt as per taste
• 6 cups of water

Instructions for Making the Green Masala Paste

• To a blender add coriander, mint, tomato, onion, garlic, ginger, black pepper, and blend it to a fine paste.

Instructions for Shrimp/Prawn Pulao

• Rinse the shrimp in some water, drain and set it aside.
• In a small bowl add some dry shrimp. Now rinse these off to ….. the excess salt.
• Rinse rice 2 to 3 times. Drain and set aside.
• Heat the rice cooker and add oil and ghee. Once the oil and ghee are hot add bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. Saute lightly for a second and then add rice. Stir the rice in the oil/ghee for few seconds.
• Add the green masala paste, salt, turmeric, shrimps, dry shrimps and give it a quick stir
• Add water, cover the lid of the cooker and let it cook until done. It usually takes around 15 minutes to cook in the rice cooker and 12 minutes in the Insta Pot.

Like I mentioned before this Green Masala Shrimp Pulao is a one-pot meal. Once it is ready all you have to do is plate it and serve it. You can serve a simple tomato and cucumber salad if you wish to balance out the spice level.

Check out my Other Shrimp Recipes

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How to Cook Green Masala Shrimp Pulao in Instant Pot

It is actually very easy to cook this shrimp pulao in Insta pot. You plug in the Instant Pot and select the saute button. Add oil and once it heats follow steps 4 and 5 as mentioned above. For step 6 cancel the saute function and cover the instant pot with the lid. Press the rice button and that is it.