Prawns varattiyathu/Prawns masala

Ingredients:

1. Fresh prawns(Large/medium)  - 350 gms

2. Chilly powder - 1 tsp

    Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

    Salt - 1 tsp

3. Sambar onion/Shallots - 10 to 12, peeled

   Ginger - 1 inch piece, peeled

   Garlic - 8 cloves,  peeled

   Green chilly - 1 or 2

4. Coconut oil - 2 tbsp (you may use any other oil too, but coconut oil adds a special flavour)

    Coconut cuts/thengakothu - 3 tbsp

    Curry leaves - 1 sprig

    Turmeric powder - a pinch

    Chilly powder - 1 tsp

    Coriander powder - 1 tsp

    Tomato - 1, chopped fine

    Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp or to taste

    Garam masala - 1/2 tsp or to taste(as taste of garam masalas vary from different brands)

Preparation:

1. Peel, de-vein and wash the prawns. Drain the prawns and marinate with ingredients listed as 2 for about 15-20 mins

2. Coarsely grind / crush together ingredients listed as 3 and keep aside.

3. Heat oil in a pan and add the coconut cuts followed by curry leaves. When the coconut cuts turn light brown, add the ground/crushed ingredients and saute for a minute. Add turmeric, chilly and coriander powders and combine well. 

4. Add tomatoes and cook till mushy. Add a few tbsp of water and mix well.

5. Add the prawns and cover and cook for 5-10 mins. Open the lid and sprinkle pepper powder and garam masala. Saute for a few minutes on a high flame till the gravy thickens. You may add a tsp of coconut oil at this stage  for more aroma.

Serve with hot rice. Enjoy !

Events:

The Kerala Kitchen - April 2012 hosted by me. Please rush in your entries

Prawn pickle / Shrimp pickle

Amma's special prawn pickle that spices up any meal.

Ingredients:

Small prawns (Cleaned, peeled and de-veined) - 250 gms
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Oil - 1/4 cup

Ginger finely chopped - 1 tbsp
Garlic finely chopped - 1 tbsp
Green chillies - 3, finely chopped
Curry leaves - a sprig
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Kashmiri chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Vinegar - 3 tbsp + more if required
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp

Preparation:

1. Wash the prawns well and drain the water completely. Marinate the prawns along with turmeric powder and salt for atleast half an hour. Choose the smallest prawns available. The weight given above is after cleaning and peeling.
2. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the prawns till they are golden and crisp. Drain and keep aside in a glass bowl.
3. In the same oil, add ginger, garlic, green chillies and fry till brown. Add curry leaves and fry it too. Turn off the stove and add chilly powders. Take care not to burn it. Transfer the contents immediately to the bowl of fried prawns.
4. Warm the vinegar and add it along with enough salt to the bowl and mix well.
5. Splutter mustard seeds in a tsp of oil  and pour it to the bowl.
6. Dry roast fenugreek seeds and powder it. Add the powder to the bowl and combine well. Keep the pickle in the bowl for a day. If it gets very thick, boil about 1/4cup of water and combine with the pickle. The prawns absorb the liquid and pickle gets thicker.
7. Store in airtight glass jars after the pickle cools downs completely.

Use after 3-4 days...I dont have the patience to wait, so I dig in as soon as it is ready.

Events:

Kerala Kitchen - March 2011 hosted by Prathibha, an event series started by Ria and Rose
Hot and Spicy treats hosted by Amy

Dried Prawns Chutney

ഉണക്ക ചെമ്മീന്‍ ചമ്മന്തി 

If you like dried fish recipes, you will like this too..This goes well with Kanji(rice gruel) or rice and curd or Kachiya Moru.

Ingredients:

Dried prawns - 1 cup

Dry red chillies - 4 to 6

Shallots - 3 to 4, sliced

Shredded coconut - 1/2 to 3/4 cup

Tamarind - a small piece

Salt

Oil

Preparation:

1. Wash the dried prawns well to get rid of any impurities. Drain to tissue paper.

2. Heat about 2 tsp oil in a pan and add dry red chillies and shallots. When shallots start turning light brown, add the dried prawns and saute for a few minutes. Add shredded coconut and salt. No need to roast the coconut much, just combine everything well and saute for 1-2 minutes.

3. Let this cool a little and then grind coarsely along with tamarind and 1-2 tsp of water. This is a dry chutney, so no need to add more water.

4. You may do a seasoning with a little oil, mustard seeds and curry leaves. But that is optional.

Recipe Source: My mother

Sending this to The Kerala Kitchen - July 2011 hosted by Magpie.

Linking to Anyone can cook: Series 27

Spicy Prawns Fry

A spicy, yummy and easy Prawns fry.

Ingredients:

Cleaned King Prawns - 250 gms
Finely chopped ginger - 1 tsp
Finely chopped garlic - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 2, finely chopped
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Lemon juice - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Oil - to shallow fry

Preparation:

1. Mix all the ingredients except oil in a bowl and marinate for 15-20 mins.
2. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the prawns till they are cooked. Flip the prawns in between so that both sides are cooked. Do not overcook as the prawns become hard.

Serve hot as a starter.

Recipe source: My friend Devi

Linking this to Kerala Kitchen July 2011 hosted by Magpie.

Linking to Anyone can cook - Series 26

Also sending to Iftar moments at Taste of Pearl City

Malabar Prawns Biriyani

I am not writing a lengthy introduction for this post. The recipe itself looks very lengthy, but it is quite easy. When I saw fresh, juicy king prawns in the store, I stopped for a few minutes thinking of a perfect recipe . I wanted to try Prawns biriyani for a long time now, but never got such perfect prawns. I quickly grabbed them and decided to make a malabar style biriyani. This is an adaptation of a recipe from Vanitha (A Popular Women's Magazine in Malayalam).

Ingredients:

For marination
Cleaned and Peeled King Prawns - 350 gms
Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt


For masala
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 4-5 cloves (adjust as per size)
Green chillies - 2 or 3 (adjust as per spice level and size)

Onion chopped - 2 big
Tomato chopped - 2
Biriyani Masala or garam masala - 2 tsp (adjust to suit your taste buds)
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Mint leaves - a few, chopped
Coriander leaves - a few, chopped
Lemon juice - 2 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp

For the Biriyani Rice
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Green cardamom -4
Cloves -4
Cinnamon - 2 inch piece
Star anise - 1 small broken to pieces
Onion sliced finely - 1 small
Basmati Rice - 2 cups
Lemon juice - 2 tsp
Salt

For garnishing
Coriander and mint leaves - a handful
Cashew nuts and raisins - as you like :-)
Deep fried onions - a handful

Preparation

1. Marinate the prawns in turmeric,chilly, coriander powders and salt for half an hour.
2. Grind ginger, garlic and green chilly into a smooth paste with a little water and keep aside.
3. Heat Oil in a pan. Shallow fry the marinated prawns for a few minutes. Drain and keep aside.
4. In the same pan and same oil, saute the onions till they are soft.Add the grounded GGG paste and saute well for a couple of minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes and cook till they are soft.
6. Now add the fried prawns and biriyani masala/ garam masala. Add 1/4 cup of warm water. Cover and cook till prawns are done. Prawns turn hard if overcooked, so keep a close eye on this.
7. Add the lemon juice, pepper powder(add after doing a spice check), mint and coriander leaves and mix well.The gravy should be thick. Now the masala is ready, keep it aside.

Cooking the Rice
1. Heat Ghee in a vessel and add the cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon and star anise. Saute for a minute and add the onions. Saute for few minutes.
2. Add the basmati rice and mix well. When the rice starts crackling, add 4 cups of hot water, lemon juice and salt. Note that the salt is only for the rice. We have used salt separately for the masala.
3. Cook till rice is done and the water is dried up.

Layering the Biriyani:
1. Grease the bottom of a non stick/thick bottom vessel with some ghee.
2. Make a layer of biriyani rice. After that make a layer of prawns masala. Repeat this process till the rice and masala is layered completely. The top layer must be of rice.
4.  Deep fry sliced onion in oil/ghee and keep aside. Fry cashew nuts and raisins in ghee. Spread the fried onions, cashews and raisins on the layered biriyani.
5. Also add the chopped coriander and mint leaves.
6. Place the vessel on top of stove and lower the flame. Keep it for 5-10 mins.
7. You may also place a pan of boiling water on top of the biriyani vessel so that the heat is from both the sides.

Microwave option: Do the layering in a microwave safe dish and cover with  lid. Microwave it for 2-3 minutes.

Serve hot with raitha, papad and chutney.

Sending this dish to The Kerala Kitchen's June 2011 event.

Also linking to Rice Recipes

Prawns and Mango Curry

ചെമ്മീന്‍ മാങ്ങാക്കറി 

A traditional kerala dish made in most of the households when raw mangoes are in season.You can use the same recipe for prawns or fish curry. The sourness of the mango adds a distinct flavour to this curry. Try it out before the end of this mango season...

Ingredients:

1. Small prawns- 300 gms

2. For the gravy

Shredded coconut - 1 cup

Shallot -1 or 2

Red chilly powder - 2 tsp 

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Water

3. Raw mango - 1 small. If it is very sour, just add half.

4. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Fenugreek seeds- 1/4 tsp

Shallots - 5, sliced

Garlic - 5-6 cloves, sliced

Ginger- a small piece, sliced

Green chilly - 3, slit lengthwise

Curry leaves - a sprig

Salt

Oil - 2 tbsp (I use coconut oil for this dish)

Preparation:

1. Clean and and peel the prawns and keep aside.

2. Peel the mango and cut into pieces and keep aside.

3. Grind the ingredients given as item 2, into a smooth paste.Keep aside.

4. Heat oil in a pan (clay pot is the best) and splutter mustard seeds. Add fenugreek seeds.

5. Add shallots,garlic,ginger,green chillies and curry leaves and saute for a few minutes.

6. Add the coconut paste and saute for a minute.

7. Add mango pieces,salt and water. Cover and cook till the pieces are half cooked.

8. Add prawns and cook till it is done.

Note: I used store brought cooked and peeled prawns. So I added it when the mango was almost cooked.

This curry tastes best after a few hours when the sourness of mango blends with the spiciness of the curry.

Prawns Masala

Prawns masala is a very easy and spicy dish with a thick gravy. This can be served with  rice, roti, appam etc.

Ingredients:

Cleaned and peeled prawns - 250g
Onions - 2, finely chopped
Tomato - 1, finely chopped
Chopped ginger - 1 tsp
Chopped garlic - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp or more as you like
Curry leaves - a few
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Oil

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add onion and saute till light brown.
2. Add turmeric, chilly and coriander powders and saute for a few seconds.
3. Add tomatoes,curry leaves and salt and saute till tomatoes become soft.
4. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of water to this and bring to boil. When the gravy starts thickening, add the prawns. Cover and cook till prawns are done.

Prawns Rava Fry

This is one of the easiest prawn recipes. I believe that this is a Mangalore style dish (correct me, if I'm wrong). This is a modified version of my mother's recipe.

Ingredients:

Cleaned and peeled small prawns - 200 gms

Grated or finely chopped ginger - 1/2 tsp

Grated or finely chopped garlic - 1/2 tsp

Kashmiri chilly powder - 1 tbsp (If you are using normal chilly powder, it is 1 teaspoon)

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt

Rava - 2 to 3 tbsp

Curry leaves - a sprig or more

Green chillies - 2 or 3 slit lengthwise

Oil for deep frying

I have tried this with fresh and frozen prawns. I recommend that you use only fresh prawns for this recipe as they are much more delicious and soft than frozen ones.

Preparation:

1. Marinate the prawns with ginger, garlic, chilly powder, turmeric powder and  salt for about 15 minutes.

2. Add rava and combine well and keep marinated for 3-4 minutes more.

3. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying. Add the prawns followed by the green chillies and curry leaves.

4. Fry till they are golden and cooked, but still soft. Note that the prawns get hard, if you fry for longer time.

5. Drain the prawns. You can see that a lot of fried rava is still in the oil. Use a sieve to filter it from the oil and spread it on the prawns.

6. Serve hot. Do not discard the fried curry leaves and green chillies. They are very crisp and tasty.

Prawns and Drumstick Curry

ചെമ്മീനും മുരിങ്ങക്കായും 

A typical kerala style dish called Chemmeenum Muringakayum in malayalam. This is my mother's recipe. I have used lot of shallots (small/sambar onions) in this curry.

Ingredients:

Small Prawns - 200 gms
Drumsticks - 2 nos
Shallots chopped - 4 to 5
Green chilly - 2 or 3 slit lengthwise
Ginger chopped - 2 tsp
Garlic chopped - 2 tsp
Tamarind - 1 inch square piece
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 to 2 tsp
Salt


To grind:
Coconut - 3/4 to 1 cup
Shallots -  1 or 2 as per size
Jeera/cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

For seasoning:
Oil (Tastes best with coconut oil)
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Shallots chopped - 2 or 3
Curry leaves

Preparation:

1. Soak tamarind in hot water and make a pulp. Add 1/2 cup water to this and also add turmeric,chilly powder and salt and stir.
2. Heat a pan and pour the tamarind masala water.
3. When it starts boiling, add the cleaned and cut drumstick pieces, shallots,green chillies, ginger and garlic. Cover and cook till drumsticks are half cooked.
4. Add the prawns and cook for a few minutes.Add water if required.
5. Meanwhile grind the ingredients listed under 'To grind' with a little water.
6. Add the ground coconut to the curry and stir well and bring it to a boil. Switch off the stove.
7. Do the seasonings in a different pan and pour it to the curry.

This curry tastes better after few hours/next day. Best served with plain/brown rice.