Prawns: the food of love or just plain delicious? Why not both????

We love prawns- any which way! Be it a bake, a prawn cocktail, a prawn curry or even a biriyani. Have any of you noticed, if it’s a dinner you are invited to, the go-to dish is prawns! Everybody’s favourite!

Kerala- known for its spices and rich heritage, we pay a lot of attention to our cuisine. It is a unique blend of flavour, aroma and texture. Small onions or shallots is used in almost every dish of ours, could be as simple as tempering or garnishing, and it’s irreplaceable.

The day I buy prawns, I have to cook it. The freshness- and the time to cook prawns is minimal. Moist and succulent. I always see to it that cooking time of the prawns is somewhere between 3 and 4 minutes. Not more than that.

For this prawn 0masala I have used lots of shallots. It is a very tasty dish, it’s got just the right amount of spice, it’s simple to make and is a great accompaniment for some Indian breads or even a pulao.

Do try this dish out and send me your feedback.

Ingredients:

For the Marinade:

• Prawns shelled and deveined -1/2 kg (mediumsize)
• Kashmiri chilli powder- 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp
• Salt
• Lime juice – 1/2 a lime

For the masala:

• Mustard seeds -1tsp

• Small onions or shallots – 1cup
• Dry chillies -3-4
• Curry leaves – 1 sprig
• Ginger- garlic paste-2 tbsp
• Tomato minced -1/2 cup
• Kashmiri chilli powder -2 tbsp
• Garam masala- 1 tsp
• Pepper powder- 1tsp
• Hot water- 1/2. Up
• Salt – if required
• Oil -5 tbsp

To garnish:

• Curry leaves

Method:

• Wash and clean prawns thoroughly.
• Marinate the prawns with the marinade for 1/2 an hour.
• Boil a cup of water and keep aside.
• In hot oil, add mustard seeds and dry chillies.
• Add the sliced small onions/ shallots till golden brown.
• Add ginger- garlic paste and a little hot water, fry well.
• Add the minced tomato, curry leaves and the spice powders.
• Add 1/2 a cup of hot water and mix well. Cover and let the tomato cook till soft on a medium flame for a few minutes.
• Add the marinated prawns and mix well. You can add a little hot water (2-3 tbsp) to bring it all together. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes. Do not overcook the prawns.
• Taste for salt and add if required.
• The masala should be of thick consistency.
• Balance out the flavour by adding a pinch of sugar if required.
• Garnish with deep fried crispy curry leaves.
• Serve with any Indian bread or pulao of your choice.

Chefs tips:

• Prawns should be fresh and medium size. You have to buy 1 kg of prawns to get 1/2 a kg of cleaned prawns,
• You can add a tbsp each of chopped garlic and ginger in the place of ginger- garlic paste.
• Cooking time of prawns should be 3-4 minutes maximum. Cooking time for small prawns will be between 2-3 minutes.
• Add hot water a little at a time to prevent the masala from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• I have used coconut oil for this recipe.
• For crispy curry leaves, heat some oil till very hot- switch off the flame and add the curry leaves. This should be done just before serving.
• This dish serves 6 adults.

Till my next post,

Cheers

Rose