Achari prawns curry (Serves 5)

Hi friends, How are you doing? The sun is upon us on full swing and so does the heat… Prawns are a favorite of Manoj and he loves to eat different versions of the same. I make the Kerala version all the time so for a change tried this Northern India style Achari prawns (recipe passed down from a friend) and he absolutely loved it. I made  a few changes here and there to fit our needs and the end result was very impressive. Hope you all will try and enjoy….

Ingredients

1. Medium size prawns ½ kg, cleaned and deveined
    Crushed ginger-garlic 2 TBSP
    Freshly squeezed lime juice from 1 big lime
    Turmeric powder ½ tsp
    Kashmiri red chilly powder 2 TBSP
    Black pepper powder ¼ tsp
    Salt as needed
2. Red onions 3 medium, thinly sliced
3. Tomatoes 2 medium, finely chopped
4. Mustard seeds 1 tsp
5. Fennel seeds ½ tsp
6. Fenugreek seeds ¼ tsp
7. Coriander powder a few pinches
8. Cumin seeds ½ tsp, crushed
9. Dry red chilly 3 nos
10. Garam masala 1 tsp, heaping
11. Jaggery ¼ tsp
12. Coriander leaves 3 TBSP, finely chopped
13. Salt as needed
14. Oil 2 TBSP

Directions

• Marinate the prawns with ingredients numbered 1 for 30 minutes in a bowl.
• Now heat a deep mouth pan and add 2 TBSP oil. Splutter cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds.
• Once they crackle add the dry red chilly and saute for a minute.
• Next add the sliced onions and saute until dark brown color.
• Follow up with chopped tomato and cook till the tomatoes are soft and mushy. Saute this until oil starts to separate from sides of the pan, about 20 minutes at medium heat.
• Next add the coriander powder, chilly powder, garam masala and jaggery. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the coriander leaves and marinated prawns. Adjust salt and cook for 10 minutes until prawns are soft and gravy is thick.
• Remove from flame and let it stand for at least an hour before serving.
• Serve with rice, rotis, naan et al…

Cheers!!!
Suji