Kerala Prawn Curry

Since one week, it is heavily snowing here. Though I've spent about 3 Winters in Germany, still I cannot stop admiring the beauty of snowfall. Those little soft white flakes, falling gently from above and covering everything in a powdery white... woww... it is so wonderful !!

Though I have an urge to hold them in my hands and feel them, it is quite difficult. The moment, I touch them, my hands go numb of coldness and I'm not able to actually 'feel' the texture of snow.

Anyways, it is awfully cold here and we wanted to eat something a little hot and something Indian. So, we gave a try to the Prawns curry and here is how we prepared it.

Prawn Curry is famous in Kerala, Traditionally, it is made with coconut, ground to a smooth paste and the curry is very rich. But, we made a non-traditional lighter version of it.

Preparation Time: 30 Min
Serves: 3-4

Things you would need:

Prawns - 500g
Onions – 2 big onions, chopped
Coconut milk - 200 ml
Ginger – 1 inch piece
Garlic – 4-6 cloves
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Coriander powder – 1 ½ tsp
Green chillies – 2
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – a few
Canola oil – 2 Tbs
Lemon juice – 1 (or ½ if too sour)
Salt – to taste
Coriander leaves – to garnish

Method:

Add the onions, green chillies, ginger and garlic to a mixer and grind to a smooth paste.

In a wide heavy bottom pan, add oil and when hot, add the mustard seeds. When the mustard splutters, add fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and the ground mixture and sauté for a few minutes, till the onion mixture is well cooked.

Now add turmeric, coriander powder and crushed pepper and stir the masaala for a few mins without getting burned. After the raw smell goes away, add the prawns along with coconut milk and salt. Cover the pan and cook in medium heat. Since I used frozen prawns, it took about 10 mins to get cooked. Cooking time may also vary if you use fresh prawns. But, make sure they are not overcooked; otherwise it gets rubbery.

After prawns are done, stir in the lemon juice, sprinkle a pinch of sugar and toss with the coriander leaves.

Serve with freshly prepared rice.

Note:

• Instead of coconut milk, one could also use 1 cup grated coconut, ground to a smooth paste.
• In the authentic recipe, tamarind juice is used in place of lemon juice.
• Green chillies could also be replaced by dried red chillies or ½ tsp chili powder, which would naturally give a slightly different taste.