Prawn Curry in Coconut milk

July 22, 2015 Posted by Shweta Shanbhag

I lived in Kolkata for a some time as a paying guest with Padma Aunty. Padma Aunty used to cook amazing Kerala curries. This is one of my favorite curries. I have tried to replicate from what I remember. I have modified the dish to my tastes and have added some not so Kerala elements like lemon grass. So I cant say that this is the authentic Kerala prawns curry recipe but it comes quite close.

Here is my version of a simple yet full-of-flavor prawn curry in coconut milk.

Ingredients

Grated Coconut – 2 cups

250 gms prawns

1 medium sized onion

2 tomatoes- finely chopped

Ginger – 1 inch piece, julienned

5-6 Garlic flakes – finely chopped

2 green chilli – slit in the middle

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp black pepper powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp mustard seeds

Asafoetida

Lemon grass – cut into 5-6 2 inch pieces

Coriander leaves – handful

Coconut oil

Salt

Method

For the coconut milk: Take 2 cups of freshly grated coconut, add 1 cup of warm water and a pinch of salt and grind in a grinder. Strain it using a muslin cloth to extract the thick milk. Again add some water to the coconut and blend in a grinder and strain it to get thin coconut milk. Keep this aside. Alternatively you can use 1 can of coconut milk or coconut milk powder to make 1 cup of coconut milk.
Add 2 tsp coconut oil in a pan. When hot, add 1 tsp mustard seeds and saute till they crackle.
Add 1 split green chilli and saute for a minute. Add a pinch of asafoetida. Add 1 medium sized onion finely chopped and saute till translucent.
Add finely chopped ginger and garlic and saute for 1 min
Now add 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp black pepper powder, 1 tsp cumin powder and saute.
Add 2 finely chopped tomatoes, mix well and cook for 5 mins.
Add 1 lemon grass leaf chopped into 2 inch pieces. Add a handful of coriander stalks to the curry
Add cleaned and de-veined prawns and saute for 4-5 mins till its well coated with all spices.
Cover the lid and let this cook on a slow flame for 3-4 mins. The tomato will leave some water and the prawns will cook in the same.
Now add the coconut milk. Add water if needed to adjust the consistency. Add salt according to taste. Cover and cook for 5 mins.
Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve with rice.