Malabar Prawn Curry

RecipenKitchen Recipe 50 min · Serves 4 · Indian

Why make it A tangy, gently spicy prawn curry from the Kerala coast, built on coconut milk, tamarind and a mustard and curry leaf tempering. It's ready in under an hour and goes well with plain rice.

You’ll need

Serves 4 600 g medium prawns, peeled and deveined, tails left on if… 1 tbsp lemon juice ½ tsp turmeric powder, for marinating 1 tsp salt, divided between marinade and curry, plus more t… 3 tbsp coconut oil or vegetable oil 1 tsp black mustard seeds ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds 15 fresh curry leaves + 13 more in the full recipe

1 Step 1 of 9 Pat the prawns dry and toss them with the lemon juice, 0.5 tsp turmeric and half of the salt. Leave them in the fridge while you prepare everything else.

2 Step 2 of 9 Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds and let them crackle for about 20 seconds; the fenugreek should turn light gold, not dark brown.

3 Step 3 of 9 Add the curry leaves (stand back, they spit), then the sliced onions and a small pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are soft and golden at the edges.

4 Step 4 of 9 Stir in the ginger, garlic and green chillies and cook until the raw garlic smell disappears.

5 Step 5 of 9 Lower the heat and add the chilli powder, coriander powder, 0.5 tsp turmeric and black pepper. Stir for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes. The last 4 steps are in the full recipe.

Cook’s tip Do not overcook the prawns. They are done when pink and just firm; tight, rubbery curls mean they have gone too far.

Malabar Prawn Curry

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