Method - Grind together the dry red chillies, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, mustard seeds and turmeric powder in a spice grinder till you get a fine mixture. • In another bowl, mix the garlic paste, ginger paste, white vinegar and the spice powder mix to form a smooth paste. Keep aside. • Heat oil in a saucepan or kadai and fry the onions till they become light brown. • Add the spice paste and sauté for a few minutes on medium flame, till they become nice and fragrant. • In go the sliced tomatoes. Cook on medium heat till the oil starts resurfacing. This step is crucial, so take your time. Try not to hurry the process by cooking on high flame; instead, keep the heat on medium-low and continue. • Once the mix becomes nice and mushy, add the prawns and mix well, making sure the masala coats the prawns. • Add the coconut milk, season with salt and give it a good stir. • Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 more minutes. • Once the prawns are cooked, take off the flame and serve hot with some steamed rice.
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Goan Prawn Curry Ingredients
• Prawns – 250 gm, peeled, cleaned and de-veined • 1/2 tsp garlic paste • 1/2 tsp ginger paste • 3/4 tsp white vinegar • 1 small, thinly sliced red onion • 1 small, thinly sliced tomato • 3/4th of a cup coconut milk • 2 tsp oil • 2 dry red chillies • Salt to taste • 3/4 tsp cumin seeds • 1/2 tsp corainder seeds • 1/4 tsp mustard seeds • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
The curry tastes even better the next day as the flavours would have caught on well on to the prawns. If you plan on doing so, once the curry has cooled, store in an air-tight container and place in the refrigerator. Just before you plan to use, heat it up lightly over medium flame. Also, remember that prawns require very little time to cook, so add only after the masala is well cooked. Biting into overcooked prawns is not really a pleasant experience. But once you have done it all right, sit back and bite into little bit of heaven, with some generous servings of rice!
Nisha Thomas is an award-winning food blogger. She is an Indian, currently living in the UK. Read her recipes at www.mykitchenantics.blogspot.com 20
culturama | october 2011