Lobster Butter Masala is one such rich dish that is full of proteins.  I cooked this dish and it was delicious.  My family’s favorite.  I cooked this dish with simple ingredients.  Fresh Lobster is what we need to cook this dish and not frozen one.  It is easily available in any Fish Markets in Mumbai or India. When you select the Lobster, check its belly.  I should not be dark black.  If so that means lobster is not fresh.  Lobster belly should be white or pinkish.  Try this dish at home.

Lobster Cleaning and Marinating:

  • Take Fresh Lobster – 1 kg – normally you get 3 to 4 medium size lobster in 1 kg.
  • Cut all the tentacles.
  • Take a Scissor and cut it straight in the middle under the head.  Cut it open.
  • Hold the meat in that cut portion and pull it out gently.
  • De-vein it. (remove the vein from middle of the lobster).
  • Wash it thoroughly under running water.
  • Cut into 2X2 inch pieces and keep it aside.
  • For Marinating – Take a mixing bowl.  Add 1 tsp of lime juice, half tsp of salt and pinch of turmeric powder.  Mix this marinade with lobster (rub them well)
  • Keep this marinated lobster in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
  • Take One Lobster Shell and boil it in hot water with some turmeric and salt in it.  This will be used only for presentation purpose.  If you don’t want to serve the cooked lobster in this shell, then no need to boil the shell.  Just discard it.

Other Ingredients:

  • Fresh Lobster – 1 Kg – Clean and Marinade as per above steps.
  • Onion – 3 medium sized – roughly chopped.
  • Tomato – 2 medium sized – roughly chopped.
  • Green Chili – 1 – roughly chopped.
  • Garlic – 12 to 14 cloves – roughly chopped.
  • Ginger – 1 X 1 inch – roughly chopped.
  • Curry leaves – 8 to 10.
  • Kokum (Gracinia Indica) – 6 pieces.
  • Fresh Coconut – 1 cup grated or roughly chopped.
  • Cumin seeds – 1 tsp.
  • Mustard seeds – 1 tsp.
  • Salt to taste.
  • Turmeric powder – Half tsp.
  • Red Chili powder – 2 tsp.
  • Coriander powder – 1 tsp.
  • Garam Masala powder – 1 tsp.
  • Coriander leaves – 1 cup finely chopped.
  • Butter – 4 tbs.

Method:

  • Take a deep frying Pan or Kadai.
  • Add 2 tbs of Butter and heat it up.
  • After Butter is heated up, add cumin seeds and mustard seeds.  Allow it to crackle.
  • Add chopped ginger and garlic.  Mix well until garlic turns golden brown.
  • Add green chili and curry leaves. Stir well for 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Add chopped Onions.  Mix them well and cook the Onions until it turns golden brown.
  • Add Kokum and stir well.
  • Add chopped Tomatoes.  Mix them well and cook the Tomatoes until the masala releases butter from corners of the Kadai and tomatoes turns very soft.
  • Add salt to taste.
  • Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and stir them continuously.  Don’t allow the masalas to burn or stick to the Kadai.  Add little water if required to ensure the masalas don’t burn.
  • Add fresh grated or chopped coconut in the Kadai.  Stir well and cook it for another 4 to 5 minutes.
  • Turn off the heat and remove this fried or cooked masalas in another bowl and allow it to cool.
  • Take a Grinder.  Add the cooled masalas into the grinder and grind them well into fine paste.  Add very little water if required.  The consistency should be thick paste.
  • Keep this finely grinded masala aside in a bowl.
  • In the same Kadai (used to fry masalas), add 2 tbs of butter.
  • Heat up the butter.
  • Add this finely grinded masalas to the hot butter.
  • Stir well and allow it to fry for 5 to 8 minutes.  Ensure masalas don’t stick to the Kadai.
  • Add marinated Lobster into the Kadai.  Mix it well with masalas.  Add little water if required (if you need the gravy to be very thin – if not don’t add water).
  • Cover the Kadai with a lid and allow it to cook on medium or low heat for 10 to 12 minutes.
  • Lobster doesn’t take much time to cook.  If you overcook it, lobster will become hard.
  • Turn off the heat after 10 to 12 minutes and keep the lid covered on the Kadai for another 10 to 12 minutes.
  • Take the boiled lobster shell for presentation.  If you don’t wish to present the final lobster dish in a shell, then you can take a bowl.  Discard the shell.
  • Mix the lobster and masalas in the Kadai very gently.
  • Place the lobster pieces and the gravy in the middle section of the boiled lobster shell.  Sprinkle with finely chopped coriander leaves.  If you are using serving bowl, remove the lobster and gravy in the bowl and sprinkle with finely chopped coriander leaves.
  • Lobster Butter Masala is ready to be eaten.
  • Happy Eating.