October 2022 COTM: THALI by Maunika Gowardhan + the author's website

MARATHI KOLAMBI BHAAT - Prawns cooked with chiles, garlic and basmati rice
https://maunikagowardhan.co.uk/cook-in-a-curry/marathi-kolambi-bhaat-prawns-cooked-in-spices-and-basmati-rice/

This has been on my list to make for a while and the cooler temps (and upcoming busy work week) were a great excuse to make this (leftovers!).

She explains that Kolambi Bhaat is a rice dish in the style of a pulao, rather than a biryani, as the rice is cooked separately from a flavorful base and then the two are folded together. In this recipe, you make a base of cooked onions and spices (cinnamon, cardamom, asafoetida, bay leaves, cumin, and cloves) to which you add ginger-garlic paste, tomatoes, and tomato paste, along with garam masala. Then you add shrimp that you’ve dusted with a little salt and turmeric and let the shrimp just cook through. Season with lemon juice, a pinch of sugar, and curry leaves, then fold in your warm, cooked basmati rice until the rice is well coated with your tomato and shrimp base. Let rest for a moment and then serve with chopped fresh chiles, cilantro, and grated coconut. Pretty easy easy for a weeknight and made even easier by me making the tomato base yesterday and then reheating it today with the raw shrimp.

A couple little changes - I did not have the Maharashtrian goda masala powder called for, so I subbed in garam masala and some toasted, ground coconut. I also added a fresh hot chile (a habanero) with the tomatoes and left off the fresh chiles at the end. We found this really delicious and I would make it again!

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