Thursday 22 April 2010

Prawns in a spicy, tangy tamarind gravy

Cravings are bad, real bad, especially when its a sweet craving. I seem to have way too many cravings now...especially on my way way from the gym if i stop by at Sainsbury's, I have this tendency to pick up all sorts of junk....which makes my work out sessions highly insignificant. Like yesterday I picked up a loaf of the most amazing, yummiest banana cake ever! if you cant bake em, buy them..is my motto:)
Its been ages since I made some authentic mallu grub, simply because we really haven't been wanting it so badly. But the other day my craving mind wanted some spicy prawn curry and after searching online for a recipe that suited my needs and convenience, I settled for Sarah's Spicy and Tangy Prawns. The picture looked so tempting (so weird, but i always judge a dish by its picture) and I had to give it a shot. I stuck to the recipe more or less with a few changes here and there. This is how its goes:

King Prawns- 250gms ( I used cooked and peeled prawns)
To marinate:
Ginger Paste- 1 tbsp
Garlic Paste- 1 tbsp
Kashmiri Chilli Powder- 1 tsp
Coriander Powder- 1/4 tsp
Turmeric Powder- 1/4 tsp
Pepper Powder- 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves- i added lots

Onion- 1, roughly chopped
Kokum (kodampuli)- 2 to 3 small pieces soaked in about half a cup of warm water
Coconut Slices- 1/4 cup
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Salt- to taste
Coconut oil- 1 tbsp

Marinate the cleaned prawns with all the ingredients in the 'to marinate' section and keep aside for about 15 to 20 minutes.
In a frying pan, heat the oil and splutter mustard seeds. Add some more curry leaves and chopped onion and sauté till they turn golden brown.
Stir in the marinated prawns and mix well. The masala from the prawns would now be mixed with the onion mix.
Add the coconut slices and the kokum water and heat on medium for a few minutes, stirring in between and making sure the prawn doesn't over cook.
When the gravy reduces to less than half, increase the heat and saute till it becomes dry.
Serve hot with rice and curd.
Notes: Sarah has used another technique which i didn't try because I always end up over cooking my prawns and since mine was pre-cooked, i didn't want to take that risk.

17 comments:

divya said...

Looks very yummy and delicious .. Nice color and you are tempting me!!!

Sushma Mallya said...

Prawns looks spicy & yum..a very nice recipe too..

Shabs.. said...

That looks like a delicious platter......Like u i also judge by photoes....even though i have had some failures, i still do the same!!!i also made a prawn dish, but a thai one...my first hand on thai dishes...no mood to take pictures, so might have to cook again to post:):)....Like u i also get cling to the junk when i have some cravings and especially when i shop hungry!...Yes, cravings are deadly...And later on, regret like anything after having them.....Did u ever try thai restaurants?...they have real delicious food, try from a good restaurant around. You will be hooked...I just recreated a thai lunch at home today after having thai meal in scot..sorry for the essay-type comment...

Hey,are u a mallu?

Cool Lassi(e) said...

I love seafood but hate the raw smell.. Since I live in the "New England" area, I have plenty of restaurants around that serve divine seafood and I hardly ever make any at home.But this is a very tempting and simple dish that I want to try.

Namitha said...

Of course when you see some new dishes, you could only judge by looks ;-) this looks so yumm and I love "Vazhayila" too :-)

Miriam Korula said...

hey nish...i make them more or less the same way n' you are right they taste insanely awesome...as for food cravings let's not even go there...offlate i eat so much junk n' i don't even crave for them....:(

Subhie Arun said...

yeah sure.. when u looking for new recipes..we looks for looks only....but sometimes it taste opposite...i lov prawn...this looks just perfect for me to indulge....lovely presentation!

Preethi Rajeev said...

Yumm looks so tempting and i am sure tasted good . Love sarah's blog

Priya Suresh said...

Wat a catchy dish, prefect for sea food lovers like me...truly tempting..

Faiza Ali said...

I am sure everyone judges the food with the pics...If i have too try a new recipe from any cookbook...i go by the best and yummiest pic :)
And adopoli prawns gravy dear...makes me nostalgic.

Unknown said...

Spicy, tangy and yummy prawns..Love it..

tasteofbeirut said...

I think that prawns and spice go so well together! Your dish is so delicious!

Fathima said...

spicy looking prawns! looks so tempting..

Unknown said...

looks to tempting...very well presented tooo...

s said...

yes i too judge a dish by a pic and urs definitely scores! it looks so creamy and mouthwatering...

Sanchita said...

You are so right about cravings..specially sweet ones! That's why if I go to Sainsbury's I try to avoid the dessert section and the baking as well (most of the time!!)..they are sometimes so tempting..its very difficult not to buy some dessert..

BTW your prawn's photo looks very tempting too. I am getting ideas for tonight's dinner!! Thanks.

Cicily Antony said...

this made me drool...'m also trying out many ways to control cravings...