How to Cook Kerala Prawns
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins
Ingredients needed to make Kerala Prawns:
- 2 lb Tiger prawns
- 9 oz shortgrain rice, cooked according to package instructions
- 4 oz fresh coconut, finely sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
- 2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
- 4 tsp fresh ginger root
- 20 fresh curry leaves
- 2 tbsp tamarind paste
- Juice of 2 limes
- 4 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- 4 green chillies, finely diced
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 4 pinches asafoetida
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 4 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Cooking instructions for Kerala Prawns:
- Heat a large saucepan over high heat and drizzle oil in it.
- Heat the oil until it gives out smokes and throw in the curry leaves as well as mustard seeds.
- Saute them for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently, until the seeds begins to splutter.
- Stir in rest of the spices and continue to saute the mixture for another minute, stirring constantly.
- Add a dollop of the ready-made tamarind paste, along with the ginger as well as chilies and give it a nice stir.
- Stir fry the mixture for a minute or two and dump the onions into it.
- Stir fry them further for a couple of minutes or so, until they browns slightly.
- Stir in the garlic and cook briskly for half a minute.
- Add the prawns and give it a nice stir to coat them well with the mixture.
- Continue to cook them for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the flesh of the prawns turn opaque and they are cooked through.
- Sprinkle the coconut slices on top of the cooking mixture, followed shortly by the chopped cilantro and add a splash of lime juice over all of them.
- Stir them well together to mix and taste before stirring in a dash of salt and black pepper.
- Heat the mixture for a minute and remove from heat.
- Make a bed of steaming rice at the center of each serving plate and top it up with the tiger prawns.
- Spoon some of the spicy mixture on top and serve right away.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
