I love all things coastal; the island girl in me I suppose. But I've been living away from the paradise island I used to call home for over 15 years now. So every time I visit, there are those special meals I make sure to enjoy at my lovely family members' and friends' homes.
This Prawn Curry holds some very special memories for me at my Aunty Valerie's home. As I recall, my husband was visiting for the first time and they had made this dish for lunch because he loves prawns so much. It was so delicious, we couldn't stop eating. I finally asked her for the recipe and she very graciously gave it to me. Now each time I make it, I am transported to those happy island days and enveloped in a feeling of being at home, safe and sound with my loved ones. I just had to share it to make sure you guys try it too.Tips:
> For this recipe, you can use frozen prawns, but I recommend fresh and in the shell. Trust me, the flavour is so much better. Plus you can always get them cleaned at the supermarket or your local seafood market itself, so no hassles.
> While you can use any size of prawns in this recipe, I recommend medium. If using small, try doubling the quantity.
> When buying fresh prawns, touch the shell to see how it feels. It needs to be firm and not slimy or limp. These are indicators of it not being fresh.
> Fresh prawns are white or grey in colour. However, brown prawns are brown in colour!
> The meat of the prawns should be white without any black spots. Black spots are an indication that they're losing their freshness.
> If using frozen prawns, make sure to defrost them for 20 to 30 minutes before use at room temperature. Ideally, the best way to do this is in the refrigerator section of the fridge, overnight.
> Ideally, you should use Murunga Leaves instead of Coriander Leaves if you can get your hands on it. This would be the true, authentic taste of a Sri Lankan Prawn Curry.
Cleaning Prawns:
- Do not forget to devein the prawns. To do this, make a long slit from the head of the prawn to the middle of its spine and then pull out the black vein.
- You can remove the whole head, shell and tail before doing this, but I prefer to keep the shell and tail. So what I do is... after removing the head and discarding it, I use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut through the shell and flesh from the head to the end of the spine and then I pull out the vein.
- Rinse all the prawns throughly under running water and then leave aside to drain in a colander for some time before use.
Find the link to the demo video for this recipe here: @ValsPrawnCurry
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Ingredients:
300g prawns
1 tbsp red chilli powder
1 tsp unroasted curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1" piece of cinnamon
1 sprig of curry leaves
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 small piece of ginger, chopped
1 small onion, sliced
1 small piece of goraka
(garcinia cambogia or malabar tamarind)
Salt to taste
1 cup of thick coconut milk
1/2 cup of coriander leaves, chopped
Method:
Add the prawns into a clay pot or pan. I prefer a clay pot only because of the flavour and aroma that adds to this dish. Of course, you can use a regular pan and it will still taste amazing.
Add the cinnamon, curry leaves, fenugreek seeds, garlic, ginger, onion & goraka.
Now toss in the chilli, curry & turmeric powders along with the salt.
Finally pour in the cup of thick coconut milk. Fresh coconut milk is ideal, but you can use coconut powder and mix it with some water to make the milk, too. This is what I do when I don't have fresh coconut at hand.
Mix until all the ingredients are combined well. Do this gently so as not to smash the prawns.
If you want more gravy, add another 1/2 cup of water, which I did. But if you prefer a thicker gravy, just leave it to the 1 cup of coconut milk.
Stir well, but again do it gently so as not to smash the prawns.
Leave it alone, uncovered and cooke for 15 minutes.
Once done, take it off the heat. Remember, prawns like most seafood cooks quickly. If you overcook, it may turn rubbery and chewy.
Toss in the coriander leaves. Honestly, the authentic recipe uses Murunga Leaves, but I made this dish during #lockdown2020 so was unable to get my hands on any. My Aunt suggested I use coriander leaves and to my delight it turned out pretty good. But I will definitely make it again when I get some Murunga Leaves.
Mix well and serve immediately while still hot.
Hope you guys give this recipe a try.
PS: If you make any of my recipes, do tag me on Instagram as @MyFoodyChic and use the #MyFoodyChic hashtag. I really do love seeing your takes on my recipes!
XOXO, Jovanka
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