Prawn Coconut Curry is a simple, delicious and flavorful dish made of fresh prawns, onions, tomatoes, fresh coconut milk, tamarind and spices.  Goan Prawn Curry also called “Ambot Tik” inspires my recipe of Prawn Coconut Curry.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • Fresh Prawns – 1.5 kg net. De-veined and cleaned.
  • Fresh Coconut Milk of One Coconut – Two Extracts. First one is thick. Second one is a bit watery.
  • Onion – 4 medium sized. Sliced.
  • Tomatoes – 4 small sized. Roughly chopped.
  • Fresh Coriander – One cup. Roughly chopped.
  • Byadgi Red Chilli Paste of 5 dried chilies – Soak in warm water for 30 minutes. Then grind them along with water into a paste. 
  • Cooking Oil – 5 tbs.
  • Tamarind (Imli) pulp – 3 tbs.
  • Garlic (Lassun) – 12 to 15 cloves. Roughly chopped.
  • Mustard Seeds (Rai) – 1 tsp.
  • Stone Flower (Dagad Phool) – 1 inch.
  • Star Anise (Chakri Phool) – 1 to 2.
  • Mace (Javitri) – 1 petal.
  • Kashmiri Red Chilli powder – 1 tsp.
  • Curry Leaves (Kadipatta) – 15 to 20 leaves.
  • Salt to taste.
  • Coriander seeds (Dhaniya) – 1.5 tbs.
  • Green Cardamom (Choti Elaichi) – 5.
  • Black Cardamom (Badi Elaichi) – 1.
  • Fenugreek seeds (Methi dana) – 3/4th tsp.
  • Cumin seeds (Jeera) – 1 tsp.
  • Ginger (Adrak) – 1.5 inch. Roughly chopped.
  • Fresh whole Turmeric (Haldi) – 1.5 inch. Roughly chopped.
  • Fennel seeds (Soaf) – 1.5 tsp.
  • Black Pepper (Kaali Miri) – 8 to 10.
  • Cinnamon stick (Dal Chini) – 1 inch.
  • Carem seeds (Ajwain) – 1 tsp.
  • Cloves (Lawang) – 6 to 8.
  • Asafoetida powder (Hing) –3/4th tsp.
  • Sugar – 1 tsp.
  • Turmeric (Haldi) powder – Half tsp.
  • Clarified Butter (Ghee) – 2 tbs.

Method:

  • Take a large mixing bowl.  Add Prawns, Haldi powder, 1 tbs Tamarind pulp, 1 tbs Red chilli and half tsp of salt. Mix them well.  Let the Prawns marinate for at least 30 minutes.
  • Take a deep Kadai and add cooking oil.  Heat it up. 
  • Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, ginger, whole turmeric, garlic and sauté them for a minute or so on high flame or until they become light golden brown.
  • Then add about 1/4th of Curry leaves, Asafoetida powder and sliced onions.  Mix them well and fry them until the onions become translucent. 
  • Add all the dry whole spices (except the Fennel seeds) at this stage and fry them for about 2 minutes. 
  • Remember do not brown any of these ingredients.
  • Add tomatoes and salt to taste.  Fry them on high flame and keep stirring them until the Tomatoes are cooked.
  • Add Fennel seeds and stir them well.  Turn off the heat.
  • Allow the above fried masalas to cool down.  After cooled down, transfer them into a mixer grinder jar and grind them into a fine paste.
  • In the same deep Kadai, add two tbs of cooking oil and heat it up.
  • Add Byadgi Chilli paste and fry it for a minute or so on high flame.
  • Add the finely grounded masala paste into the hot Kadai.  Mix them well.  Fry these for 4 to 5 minutes on low to medium flame.  Cover it with a lid.
  • Add half the quantity of remaining Curry Leaves and mix them well.
  • Add second extract of fresh coconut milk.  Mix them well and cook this on high flame until it reduces a bit or becomes thick. Keep stirring intermittently.   Cover it with a lid.
  • Add Tamarind pulp and sugar into the Kadai.  Mix them well.
  • Add marinated prawns into the Kadai.  Mix them well.  Prawns does not take much time to cook.
  • Mix them well and cover it with a lid.  Cook it for 4 to 5 minutes on medium flame.
  • Add first extract of fresh coconut milk and give it a nice mix.  Cook it for another 4 to 5 minutes on medium flame.
  • Turn off the heat. Open the lid and mix the prawn curry.
  • Add chopped fresh coriander leaves and mix it well.
  • For Tempering (Tadka), take a flat pan and add Ghee to it.  Heat it up on medium flame.
  • Once the ghee is hot, add remaining curry leaves and fry them until it becomes crispy.  Remove the fried crispy curry leaves in a bowl.
  • In the same flat pan, add kashmiri red chilli powder in to the hot ghee.  Turn off the heat immediately.  Mix them well.  The Rogan is ready.
  • Transfer the Prawn Coconut Curry in to a serving bowl.  Garnish it with freshly chopped coriander leaves, fried curry leaves and add or sprinkle the kashmiri red chilli Rogan on it.
  • Delicious and Succulent Prawn Coconut Curry is ready to be served hot along with steamed rice or roti or naan or paratha or chappati.
  • Happy Eating.