Easy Goan Prawn Curry which as far as I am concerned is the star of all Prawn Curries. I have tried many recipes before but this one from The Culinary Heritage Of Goa is the probably the best!
We all love prawns at home, especially prawns! And the Goan prawn curry is the top five favorite prawn dishes for all three of us. Now, that happens rarely in the family right? Usually, the case here is that when I like X, the man likes Y and the child Z.
But since this is one curry we all seem to love, I have been trying almost every recipe that I could lay my hands on. Most turn out good, but none turned out exceptional. Till I tried the recipe in this book.
I bought this recipe on a trip to Goa, less for recipes and more to read about Goan food and it’s history etc. I really enjoyed reading it over the last month. The delicious descriptions of food they eat, history of what is grown in Goa in what season and a bit about Goan landscape. The language is very basic but somehow it works for the book. The pictures are however very pretty.
And then when I spotted the Goan Prawn Curry recipe in it, I knew I had to make it. A few things that I noticed different from the other recipes I have tried were – it used a mix of tamarind and a bit of kokum as the souring agent. Most recipes I had read or made till now used only one (and that works BTW if you don’t have access to them). And second, the slightly different ground masala. I think I have personally found my favorite Goan Prawn Curry here.
So here is the recipe with little tweaks of mine and in case you are looking for another prawn curry you can try this brilliant prawn curry in coconut milk
If you make this, share a picture with me on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook? I would love to hear what you have to say about it!
Easy Goan Prawn Curry - The star of Prawn Curries
Ingredients
For the ground masala
- 8-10 dried Kashmiri Red Chillies
- 6-8 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp whole Peppercorns
- 1 tbsp whole Coriander Seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tiny knob of Tamarind
- 1/2 cup grated Coconut
For the curry
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp ginger minces
- 1/2 cup onions finely chopped
- 1/2 cup tomatoes finely chopped
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 dried kokum
- 1 cup coconut milk
- Salt to taste
For marination of prawns
- 500 gm medium prawns shelled and deveined, I leave the tail on
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Marinade the prawns in salt and turmeric powder while you make the curry. Don't marinate for a long time
- Grind all the ingredients for ground masala to a smooth paste using a little water if needed. Keep aside.
- In a heavy bottom pan (best to use a mud chatti if you have), heat coconut oil and sautee the onions till they turn golden brown. Add tomatoes and ginger. Cook till they are mushy and leave oil.
- Add the ground masala paste, salt, curry leaves and cook for 5-6 minutes till the raw smell is gone.
- Add around 2 cups of water, kokum and let the gravy cook for 8-10 minutes.
- Add marinated prawns, coconut milk and cook for 3-4 minutes till the prawns are just done. Don't overcook the prawns, they will continue to cook in the heat of the gravy as well.
- Serve hot with steamed rice for bliss
Leave a Reply