1. 1 Cup = 200ml

For the rice

Ingredients

1. Ghee (clarified butter)- 3 tbsp
2. Oil - 1 tbsp
3. Onion - 1, finely sliced
4. Cashew - ¼ cup
5. Raisin - 3 tbsp
6. Basmati Rice - 3 cup
7. Boiling water - 4 1/2 cup
8. Saffron - a pinch (soak it in 1 tbsp hot milk)
9. Salt - to taste

Method

1. Wash and clean the basmati rice. Keep it aside
2. Heat ghee and oil in a separate deep pan. When the oil in little hot, add the sliced onion and fry on low flame till golden brown. Move it from the oil to a kitchen towel. Add the cashew nuts to the same oil and fry till golden. Remove it and then add the raisins to the oil, saute for few seconds and remove it from the oil. Keep it aside.
3. To the same oil add rice and fry this lightly for about 5 minutes in low flame. Add enough salt to this and mix well. Add the boiling water to this and mix well and cook covered on low flame stirring occasionally. At last add the saffron soaked in milk and combine well. Remove it from the flame when it is cooked.

For the king fish masala

Ingredients

1. King fish - 8 - 10 big pieces
2. Chili powder - 2 tsp
3. Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
4. Lemon Juice - 2 tsp
5. Salt -to taste
6. Oil - 4 - 5 tbsp (for frying)

Method

1. Marinate fish with above ingredients for 1 hr. heat oil in a pan and fry the fish pieces just till done (do not over fry the fish). Keep it aside.

For the king fish masala

Ingredients

1. Cardamom - 3
2. Cinnamon - a small piece
3. Cloves - 3
4. Onion -5, big (sliced)
5. Ginger - 2 pieces
6. Garlic - 10 - 12 big cloves
7. Green Chilly - 8 to 10 (according to taste)
8. Yoghurt (curd) - ¼ cup
9. Tomato - 2, big
10. Garam masala powder - ½ tsp + 1 tsp for layering
11. Lemon juice - 1 tbsp + 1 tsp (for sprinkling after layering)
12. Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp + 2 tbsp for layering
13. Salt - To taste
14. Ghee (clarified butter) - 3 tbsp

Method

1. Heat oil in a deep pan. Add cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. After few seconds add sliced onion and saute till soft. Add little salt and combine well.
2. In the mean time grind together ginger, garlic and green chili with yogurt. Add this to the onion and saute till the raw smell disappears. Add the chopped tomato and cook till soft.
3. To this add ½ tsp garam masala powder, lemon juice and 2 tbsp coriander leaves and combine well. Add the fried fish to this slowly, without breaking.Add the remaining oil, in which you fried the fish, also to the masala. Cook for another 4 - 5 minutes and remove from flame.

Layering

Method

1. Take a wide pan, make a thin layer of rice in it, sprinkle little garam masala powder, little fried onion, cashew and raisins and also little coriander leaves over it. Then make a layer of fish masala.
2. Again make a layer of rice over it and repeat the process. The last layer should be rice and then sprinkle the garam masala powder, and also the remaining fried onion, cashew, raisins and coriander leaves. Squeeze little lemon juice (1 tsp) over that.
3. Cover it and heat it for about 15 - 20 minutes on very low flame. Serve hot with raita and chutney.