SOUTH INDIAN PRAWN CURRY

An Easy Prawn Curry recipe that works

People always ask me how to make a good Prawn Curry although everyone has their own versions with slight variations. I’ve experimented with a few recipes and have come up with a simple, authentic, tasty recipe that seems to be a hit with kids and friends from East and West. So try it and tell me what you think…

Here are the ingredients for Prawn Curry for 6 people

• 1 kg of fresh medium-sized prawns washed and deveined or large packet of frozen shrimps which have been defrosted
• Half a small box of ready chopped fresh onions, red or white (most local supermarkets)
• 3- 4 garlic cloves (again ready peeled in a box)
• 2 inches or so of fresh peeled ginger
• 4-5 med fresh tomatoes cut in halves or quarters (get local ones, much cheaper and really tasty)
• 1/4 tsp of salt, same amount of fresh black pepper and turmeric (spices)
• Half a fresh deseeded red chilli chopped up
• 1 tablespoon of tamarind paste dissolved in warm water (most supermarkets, any brand is fine, but try to get Indian as opposed to Thai variety)
• Coconut milk (I use 1 tablespoon of powdered coconut from a box and add hot milk/water all in a small jug, but places like Lulu’s sell fresh grated coconut if you prefer)
• 1tsp of dark brown sugar
• Ideally you want some curry leaves and mustard seeds but again not essential
• Fresh coriander to garnish

Method to make your Prawn Curry 

• Put onions, tomatoes, garlic and ginger in a food processor and pulse till the mixture resembles a watery paste · Transfer mixture to a pan which has some vegetable oil already heated in it. (no hard and fast rules on amounts but try 1 dessertspoon per kilo roughly) any veg oil is fine, corn oil or sunflower seem to work well, do not use olive oil · Fry your paste and add in all the spices and chilli, fry a little more until the paste thickens and darkens in colour, I also add in half tsp of brown sugar at this point as well, · Then add the prawns, put lid on and cook slowly, about 10 mins or so) · Then add the tamarind paste dissolved in hot water, stir through

• Finally pour in coconut milk and let the new mixture heat thoroughly · Add coriander to the curry before serving, or if you want it to be really South Indian, heat some oil in a small frying pan, throw in a small teaspoon of mustard seeds, let them sizzle till you get a nutty aroma, throw in a stem’s worth of fresh curry leaves and watch them curl and darken slightly, then pour this whole mixture over the curry, stir through. · Serve with rice, your favourite salad, plain yoghurt with chopped up cucumber ENJOY

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• Prawn and Black Pepper Curry (foxtrotandfennel.wordpress.com)