The head chef at a multi-award-winning Punjabi restaurant has let customers in on the secret to his perfect King Prawn Biryani, a dish which sparks much debate in the South Asian community. Ali has one step which he thinks keeps customers coming back to Needoo Grill, in Whitechapel, time and time again.
Biriyani is a mixed rice dish made with meat or seafood and spices. It is one of the most popular dishes in South Asia and there are plenty of regional variations on how to make it.
Some biriyanis are layered and baked, others are served with potatoes and some are extra spicy. But Ali is pretty sure that his king prawn version takes the pip – so he’s sharing exactly how to make it.
“My culture and hard work are my passion,” says Ali, who runs the restaurant alongside his three bothers, serving up delicious food from the Punjab region of Pakistan. “We cooked at home in Pakistan – I saw my mum and grandmother cooking some dhal or other things like okra or bhindi bhaji – we loved cooking,” he adds.
The first step is to cut the King Prawns down the centre, before adding them to a pan to fry for a few minutes. Ali then adds garlic and ginger.
He allows this to cook for a few minutes before chucking out the excess oil. Needoo Grill is renowned for its biryani, thanks to their secret family recipes for marinades and spice blends like its masala.
Ali has worked hard alongside his brothers to grow Needoo from a humble 45-seat venue to an award-winning 280-seat operation. It’s almost always full to the brim.
He then adds an onion gravy sauce to the pan, as well as tomato and lemon. That’s followed by salt and paprika. His masala spice blend is the key to this popular dish – but he won’t give away the secret to that. Ali then adds pre-cooked rice and fries this for a few minutes until it’s combined with the king prawns and sauce, and it’s ready to serve.
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