Tangy, spicy and rich with flavour – this is one of my favourite ways to prepare prawns for my family. Celebrating the flavours of South India, these prawns are richly cooked with tamarind, coconut and curry leaves to make a delicious main. My Kerala style prawns may not be super authentic, but they pay homage to to all the food I ate when I first visited the state and my Dad’s recipe too.
Prawns were a rare treat in my home growing up and I was the only one that ever cooked them. This particular recipe was one that my father learnt from his friends while he lived in Saudi Arabia and worked with many Indian immigrants including many from the state of Kerala. I learnt this recipe from my father when I first purchased frozen prawns and brought them home – I was far too afraid to clean fresh whole prawns myself at home!
This recipe quickly become one of my favourite prawns recipes to put together especially when I am short on time. The rich flavour and spices, paired with the slightly sweet flavour of the prawns is a perfect match. In this particular recipe, the combination of the fresh curry leaf, whole and ground spices and tamarind that absolutely make this a wonderful meal.
Storing Spices
As always, make sure you use fresh spices! Spices lose their flavour, colour and depth over time. Do your best to store your spice in clean containers in a cool and dry spot, away from any moisture. I typically store mine in small glass mason jars or little plastic containers with tight seals. I usually keep a small amount in the jars I use day to day, to minimise the entire amount being exposed to the air – keeping them sealed will keep them fresher for longer!
The Spice Blend
Oh this spice blend is so luxurious.
For this beautiful recipe you are going to need some good quality Garam Masala which you can find in the grocery store in the Indian/Asian food aisle or from your local Indian grocer. Again, try to find fresh spices!
With the garam masala, you are going to need ground cumin, mustard seeds, ground turmeric, ground chilli, ground coriander and of course some salt and pepper. This combined with some fresh grated coconut, the fresh curry leaves, and some ginger and garlic make for the most incredible little spice blend.
How to prepare the prawns?
I always use fresh prawns that have already been cleaned and shelled, but I always do the extra step to make sure they are de-veined. I find it a bit easier to buy pre-prepared ones for a recipe like this. For a really luxurious meal, opt for king prawns, but banana prawns or any other cheaper variety is perfectly fine. Make sure you give the prawns a really good rinse before using them!
Yes of course there is some marinating involved! Start by combining all the ground powders with the tamarind, fresh chilli, fresh coriander and pasted ginger and garlic alongside the prawns. This is the marinade that we will use in the recipe. Let the prawns sit in the beautiful mixture for at least 15 minutes before cooking them, up to 1 hour. Any longer than this and the prawns will start to cook in the tangy liquid and the overall flavour development will be totally interrupted.
The result of over-marinated prawns is always prawn meat that is tough without strong flavours playing – the tang of the tamarind and spices stay tasting raw!
How to Cook Kerala Prawns
This is the part you really want to read. The best way to summarise the recipe in in 4 key components.
The first spices – These spices are tempered in the pan with some vegetable oil until they so sputter. To this the fresh curry leaves are added and toasted through until fragrant
The base – Finely chopped onion forms the base of this recipe which are flavoured by the spices that are nicely toasted at this point. A pinch of salt is required here to help sweat the onions to get them soft, looking a little jammy and slightly translucent.
Coconut – A few tablespoons of fresh grated coconut is what takes the recipe to a whole new level. Invest in getting some grated coconut which can easily be found frozen – you get that beautiful nutty coconut oil released from the flesh whereas with desiccated coconut or dried shredded coconut usually have added sugars and have a dry flavour.
The Prawns – once the coconut is nicely combined, it is time to add in the prawns with just a little bit of water and let these sauté nicely. I try not to move the prawns in the pan too much to allow them to lightly brown.
Here is the recipe card to follow to make the most delicious prawn curry. You could use any good quality prawns for this recipe, I often go for some lovely banana prawns that are so easily found. The best thing about this recipe is just how quickly it all comes together for the most delicious dinner.
How to make Kerala Style Prawns
Equipment
- Pot
- bowl
Ingredients
- 200 g cleaned & shelled prawns
- ½ a large onion, chopped finely
- 1 tbsp. tamarind paste
- ½ tbsp. crushed ginger alternatively use 1 tbsp. of ginger garlic paste instead of crushed garlic and crushed ginger separately
- ½ tbsp. crushed garlic
- ½ tsp. mustard seeds
- 2 tbsp. freshly grated coconut available fresh or frozen at most South Asian grocers
- 1 tsp. garam masala available at South Asian grocers and supermarkets
- ½ a green chilli omit if you don't like too much heat
- ¼ tsp. ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp. ground red chilli powder
- 1½ tbsp. chopped coriander leaves cilantro
- 10-15 curry leaves available at South Asian grocers
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil or coconut oil
Instructions
- Start by marinating the prawns for 10-15 minutes combining the prawns, turmeric, tamarind, ginger garlic paste, fresh coriander, chilli powder, ground cumin and a pinch of salt
- In a pan, heat up the vegetable oil or coconut oil
- Add the mustard seeds to the oil and fry until they start to sputter
- Turn down the heat completely and after letting the pan cool for 30 seconds, carefully add the curry leaves using a lid or plate to shield yourself from any splashing oil
- Return the pan to medium-high heat and let the curry leaves fry for 1 minute
- Add the finely chopped onion with a pinch of salt and sauté well until translucent
- Add the freshly grated coconut. If using frozen, then you don't need to add additional water however if it's dry, add roughly 1 tbsp. of water to prevent any burning
- Once the coconut has softened and has become really fragrant, add the prawns and marinate mixture with 2 tbsp. of water to the pan and stir well
- Cook the prawns through for roughly 5-10 minutes, until they turn colour and are very tender. Cut one of the prawns to check!
- Let the prawns simmer over a low heat to let the sauce thicken. Once donw, serve the prawns with some rice or roti
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much I love making it. It’s tangy, sweet, spicy and so flavourful. The prawns remain luscious and tender in the gravy making it an absolutely perfect accompaniment with rice or flatbreads.
