Someone has rightly said “Imagination takes you everywhere!!” And this quote exactly describes my personality.I imagine a lot and always love to live in my own fantasy world. I find myself fantasizing about food more often than not.
If you have been trying to convince yourself from not having those food fantasies, here is one intresting point that I read in an article in huffingtonpost that may change your mind. The post states that having food fantasies is normal and when you have them your brain begins to release dopamine, which typically would make you feel happy. So if you are stressed after a hectic day, you just need to fantasize about food and you would feel buoyant in no time.Coming back to myself, If I were on my deathbed, and be granted a last wish then … what would be my last wish? Ummmm… Don’t worry friends, I am not making it a serious topic:-)I have my list of food items ready for that last Wish and “Prawns curry” is on the top of that list.
In Mumbai, there are few big fish markets in the residential area where I grew up. In my childhood, I used to go with my nani or sometimes with papa to fish market on every Sunday.Till the time my Nani was busy haggling with the fisherwoman ,I used to observe the other fisherwoman cleaning the prawns. The way they devein and clean the prawns is an art!!They do it with such dexterity and speed just with their fingertips. Over the years I have learnt to devein and clean the prawns myself but I am no match to their speed.
What I like about the prawns is that you cook them in any way , whether in curry, pulao/biryani or simply steamed and tossed in black pepper-salt, they come out awesome always. I have so many friends who are not really sea-food lovers but never say no to prawns preparations.
I am sharing with you “Konkani Style Prawns Curry” which is directly coming from my Mom’s kitchen. Believe me your family members would be drawn into the kitchen by the extraordinary aroma of this unusual combination of prawns with potato and juicy drumsticks. I will tell you my secret. I impressed my in-laws with my cooking skills by preparing this curry in my first non veg preparations after marriage. **Wink Wink**.
So all fish lovers and newly wedded brides, impress your family with this delectable Prawns curry. i would love to hear your thoughts and feedback, so comments section is all yours!!
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Serves: 2-3
- 300 gm prawns ( preferably medium sized )
- 1 medium sized potato cut into small cubes
- 1 drumstick chopped like fingers
- 1 big onion cut into cubes
- 8-10 garlic cloves
- 1 to 1.5 inches Ginger ( Adarak) -chopped in small pieces
- Fresh coriander
- 1 cup grated dry coconut
- ½ lemon juice
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder ( haldi )
- Salt
- 3-4 tsp Malvani masala (as per your spicy taste)
- Red chili powder spicy as per the taste ( only if Malvani masala is not available)
- 2 tsp Garam masala powder - ( only if Malvani masala is not available)
- 1 tsp Coriander powder
- 1 medium sized tomato made into puree
- 3-4 Kokum ( as per your tangy taste )
- Curry leaves for tempering
- Cooking oil
- Clean the prawns and remove their shells. Also devein them properly. Wash it thoroughly.
- Marinade the prawns with ½ tspoon turmeric, salt and lemon juice for 20-30 min. Keep it aside.
- Meanwhile heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and saute grated coconut till it gets light brown in color. It takes 3-4 min.Keep it aside.
- In the same pan, heat 1 tbsp oil.Saute garlic and chopped ginger into it till garlic gets light brown.
- Add cut onion and saute till it gets tender and light brown in color.
- Once onion turn light brown then add roasted dry coconut (from step 3) and fresh coriander leaves and just give a nice stir for 1 min.
- Switch off the flame and let the mixture cool off.
- Grind the above mixture into a smooth paste. Do not add too much water.
- In a kadhai(pan), heat 2 tbspoon oil. Add 4-5 curry leaves.
- Add the ground masala paste to the kadhai and saute it for 1-2 min.
- Add 1 tea spoon coriander powder, 3-4 teaspoon malvani masala. Saute it well for 4-5 min nicely till the mixture leaves off the oil from side.
- Add prawns,cut potato, and drumstick to the mixture and mix it well.
- Add 3-4 cups hot water into the mixture as per the consistency required. Cook it on medium flame till first boil.
- Thereafter lower the flame, add tomato puree and mix it well.
- Add 3-4 kokum ( shredded in small pieces ).Salt as per taste.
- Cover the lid. Cook it for 20-25 min on a low flame.
- Serve hot with Tandalachi Bhakari ( Steamed Rice flour flat bread ) and steamed rice.
- Enjoy Sunday Lunch with the Spicy Prawns Curry 😉
Click here to watch Recipe video
Dear Smita Ji, Thank you for your very informative konkani prawn curry recipe. I live in Cleveland, Ohio, USA and love to cook, and sometimes I am even successful. 😉
I generally get pre-cooked, frozen shrimp ( which is the preferred name for prawns, here – ), but today I managed to get some previously frozen, but defrosted shrimp, which were uncooked. What a difference in flavor, it makes, the smell was exhilarating !
May I make a couple of suggestions, to your web site ? I think, it is preferable that you list the ingredients, as they are used in the recipe. Also try to club together, the ingredients, which are tossed or blended together … this makes it easier to us, to arrange our ingredients, in that order.
I loved your video, and if I may offer an opinion, you are indeed very pretty !!@! I am almost 70, so this is a strictly platonic and genuinely friendly compliment, with no ulterior motives !
I was not familiar with the Malvani masala, but I got the rough formula from another web site, and quickly made up some approximate / rough powdered mixture, that apparently served the purpose ….
I am konkani, but my ancestors were from North Kanara and Mangalore, so I am unfamiliar with Maharashtrian konkani cooking. But I am glad I tried it because it came out very well and tasty. But I could not get the desirable red color, however my wife told me that the curry was delectable …. and she is generally very stingy with her compliments. Lol 😉
Thank you and best wishes, and good luck with your blog !!@!
Dear Uncle, excuse me for directly addressing you as Uncle than my usual formal way of approaching! My father is just near to your age and your comment has made me sentimental. I really appreciate your choice of words and the way you express your feedback. Let me tell you this is the best comment I have ever got in my blogging career.
I second you on the fact that prawns curry tastes much much better when cooked with uncooked or fresh prawns. We will surely incorporate your suggestion on listing out and grouping the ingredients process wise. I am overwhelmed by your opinion and missing my father who currently resides in Konkan – Ratnagiri as every daughter is her father’s pretty princess! Thanks a lot uncle!
If you wish I can courier you 250 gm Malvani Masala which I will prepare in my kitchen. kindly let me know your postal address on contact@kalimirchbysmita.com.
As I have spent a couple of years in Karnataka specially in Udupi , you would find some popular delicacies from Karnataka on my blog. Do check them and let me know your invaluable suggestions!
Thanks a lot for visiting and spending your precious time to writing such beautiful words! My pranam to you and aunty and lots of love to your family.
– Smita & Pranay Singh
Team KaliMirch
THIS IS A PERSONAL LETTER TO YOU, THAT YOU WILL NOT WANT TO BE POSTED ON YOUR BLOG PAGE.
IT IS ONLY FOR YOUR APPRECIATION AND ENJOYMENT ….
Dear Smita Ji,
I am glad I left my browser page open, because with all the web searching I do, I might have lost it. Thank you for your compliments, and generous tributes. I really appreciate it …. and it has sent me to the top of the world !! To be commended, with your long letter and efforts involved to write it, is a treasure worth millions. (!)
On the dish that I prepared last night, the gravy was a little runny, so I added some potato flakes, which are common here, to thicken the rassa.
Regarding your ingredients, maybe you should make subsections ….. like those roasted ( and later ground paste ) masala …. and the powders directly added to the paste later on, etc., The problem with indian cooking in general, is the plethora of ingredients, which can become confusing and tend to – intimidate the cook.
Initially, I was afraid that the kokum ( which I rarely use – ) would make it a little, too sour. But fortunately, my kokum is over six years old (!) and I think, the effect was very muted. ( He said with a wry smile ….. Lol ).
Not that it matters, but regarding my antecedents, I speak konkani as the Pais, Kamaths, Shenoys, Nayaks in N. and S. Kanara. I can speak and understand Marathi, with some fluency – but I have never studied marathi. I belong to a local Marathi Mandal, and have watched Katyar Kaljaat Ghusli over five times !@! I spent two very enjoyable summers in Ratnagiri, in 1964-65 and went to the killa (fort), and the palace, where the Burmese King Thibaw, in 1885, was exiled and interned by the British. Very sad, indeed. I also saw ‘Killa’ ( The fort ) the marathi movie, on Netflix, recently, and throughly enjoyed it.
I lived in Khar and Bandra, Bombay for six years in the late 1960s and early 1970s but I am not totally familiar with marathi cooking. I have just collected some spices like Dagad Phool (Kalpasi – Parmotrema Perlatum, Wiki ) but have resisted buying Nagakeshar ( Cinnamon buds ) or Marathi Moggu (dried kapok buds) because I may not use them very often. My son in law, is a Patil, a maharashtrian – who knows exactly ten words of marathi !!! But his parents are originally, from Kolhapur, and his mother cooks very good Kolhapuri mutton ! Neither my daughter or son in law cook indian food ….
Thank you, very very kindly for your incredibly generous offer to send me Malvani masala. I am afraid I may not use it very much, but thank you, all the same.
I have used Teppal/ Tirphal or Tephal ( Zanthoxylum piperitum ? or Zanthoxylum alatum ? ) in some of my fish and seafood preparations. This is often called Sichuan or Szechuan pepper …. but this is erroneous and wrong … because I do have Szechuan pepper or prickly ash pepper and it is a totally different cultivar and variety and is much smaller and a different taste. It is Zanthoxylum simulans or Zanthoxylum bungeanum. The chinese prickly ash HAS to be powdered, but the indian konkani variety is much larger, much more stronger and has to be merely crushed slightly or boiled in water. I’m sure you are probably already aware of all this.
Actually, I am somewhat allergic to shrimp, especially large scampi, and lobster …. but my wife likes it, so despite her protests, I keep making it sometimes.. I just eat the minimum to sample the taste ….Lol.
You have a very nice blog …. but you will have to keep making some new innovations, like slightly different varieties …. and a large and unusual collection to keep it unique …. so it will keep coming on the top in any Google search. Unfortunately, too many food editors have jumped in, and there is a cut throat competition in blogs catering to special interests.
Again, I wish you all good wishes, and the best of luck.
P.S. This is philosophy and meditative amazement….
I am amazed that this wonderful media of the Internet has enabled two people, so far away, and so far removed, who would normally have no reason to even make a physical connection, to reach across the seas and continents and make a resounding heart to heart talk and conversation and emotively seek a chord !
I wrote the original post with a sincere effort to reach your heart …. and your reply has touched my soul.
Thank you.
Thank you Uncle! I appreciate you wholeheartedly!