Murabyan

Ingredients

• 800 g raw prawns, peeled and deveined
• 400 g basmati rice
• 5 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp mild curry powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 dried limes, pierced, plus 1 tsp ground dried lime
• 2 tsp salt
• 700 ml water
• 1 large handful coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 green chilli, sliced

Before you cook

• Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, then soak it for 20 minutes and drain.
• Peel and devein the prawns, then pat them completely dry and divide them into two equal piles.
• Slice the onions thinly, crush the garlic and grate the ginger.
• Pierce the whole dried limes twice each with a knife tip.

Steps

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat.
2. Fry one sliced onion for 10 minutes until golden brown.
3. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
4. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes until they collapse.
5. Add the ground coriander, turmeric, curry powder, cardamom, cloves, black pepper and salt and stir for 1 minute.
6. Tip in the first pile of prawns and cook for 2 minutes, just until they turn pink.
7. Pour in the water, drop in the whole dried limes and bring the pot to a rolling boil.
8. Stir in the drained rice and level the surface.
9. Cook uncovered over medium heat for 8 minutes, until the liquid has fallen to the level of the rice.
10. Cover the pot with a tight lid, turn the heat to its lowest and steam for 15 minutes.
11. Take the pot off the heat and leave it covered and untouched for 10 minutes.
12. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat.
13. Fry the second sliced onion for 8 minutes until deep golden.
14. Add the second pile of prawns, the ground dried lime and the sliced chilli, and fry for 3 minutes until the prawns are just cooked.
15. Stir most of the chopped coriander into the prawn topping.
16. Fluff the rice with a fork, tip it onto a serving platter and spoon the fried prawns and onions over the top.
17. Scatter with the last of the coriander and serve.