“I had enough of chicken. Mutton is so expensive. There is hardly any good fish available. What non-veg to cook?” laments my cousin

“Prawns” I suggest😘.

There are so many dishes to make from prawns🍤. When I use a cook book, I find the index at the back more useful than the contents page. The index has all the dishes that incorporate a particular ingredient and such a list is very useful. So here I list all the dishes I currently love eating and cook using prawns.

This list is only a start and the recipes are always evolving; when you make a dish repeatedly, you discover ways to pack in more flavour to the dish😋.

• Prawns ularthu -Prawns cooked with coconut pieces; a uniquely Kerala preparation
• Prawns and raw mango curry – Prawns and raw mango cooked in a coconut gravy
• Gambas Pil Pil – Spanish appetiser of pawns in garlic and chilli sauce 👉Karen Anand and Gambas Pil Pil👩🏻‍🍳
• Prawns pulao – Makes a hearty meal 👉Easy Indian meal (Set #3)🍤🍅
• Dynamite Prawns – Fried prawns in a creamy mayo sauce
• Prawns masala curry – Prawns cooked with tomato in a coconut milk gravy

When currying prawns there are two ingredients that help add the wow factor to the dish – shallots and fenugreek (methe or uluva). I used to avoid buying shallots, it’s too much work peeling them. The big onions were less work and served the same purpose; so I thought. I was so wrong. Shallots have a different flavour and they make prawn curries more tastier.

Fenugreek seeds can be added while tempering the pawn curries. I also now add crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) at the end of cooking the prawns curry; they bring such a fantastic aroma and taste, the whole house and even the neighbours will know you are cooking something spectacular.

Prawns Ularthu

A dry preparation made of prawns and coconut pieces; you will love biting into the toasted crunchy coconut pieces🥥. It is used as a side dish to rice; goes well with chapattis also.

Ingredients:

Cooking the prawns:

• Prawns – 250g, shelled and deveined
• Water – 1/4 cup or less
• Masala powders (2 nos.) – Turmeric powder (1/4 tsp) and Kashmiri red chilli powder (1/2 tsp)
• Salt – a pinch to taste
• Fish tamarind – 1 small piece

For the Dry Masala:

• Coconut oil – 3 tbsp
• Fenugreek seeds – a pinch
• Shallots – 2 cups, finely sliced
• Ginger – 1/2 inch, finely chopped
• Garlic – 6 to 7 nos., finely chopped
• Coconut pieces – 1/4 cup (pic below)
• Salt to taste
• Curry leaves – 2 sprigs for cooking and 1 sprig for garnish
• Masala powders (5 nos) – Turmeric powder (1\2 tsp), Kashmiri red chilli powder (1 tsp), Coriander powder (1 and 1\2 tsp), Black pepper powder (1/2 tsp); Grama masala powder (1/2 tsp)
• Kasuri methi leaves – 1/2 tsp, finely ground

Method:

It’s difficult to extract the coconut pieces, the moment you feel like making this dish.I chop some pieces off the coconut during the process of grating coconuts; store the coconut pieces in the freezer and take it out when needed.

[1] In a chatti or kadai, heat water, add the prawns, the masala powders, salt and tamarind and cook. The prawns cook fast. Little or no water should remain. (Add very little water while cooking; else there will be lot of gravy remaining and you will have to continue heating to evaporate the water. The gravy has a lot of flavour).

Remove the tamarind and keep the prawns aside.

[2] In another chatti or kadai, heat oil, add the fenugreek seeds followed by ginger, garlic and the coconut pieces. Sauté well. Add the shallots and sauté till they turn light brown. The shallots turning light brown, adds to the taste.

[3] Once the shallots are sautéed well, add salt, curry leaves, masala powders and mix well for 2 -3 minutes. Then add the cooked prawns and mix well. Take off from flame. Garnish with curry leaves and serve hot.

Try it out🍤🥥 !!

Till next post, take care !!