Prawn Masala

Time for Secret Recipe Club again! For those who haven’t seen my previous Secret Recipe Club posts, this club includes a group of bloggers who are assigned a different blog each month and secretly make a recipe to post on their specified reveal day. I look forward to my assignment email every month and discovering new blogs. It is also fun to see what someone chooses from your blog.

This month, I was assigned to Shirley’s blog: Enriching Your Kid. Shirley worked as a Clinical Psychologist before becoming a stay at home mom. She developed the blog as a way to document her mother’s recipes and the food she prepares for her family. She has a large amount of Indian recipes to choose from. I decided to make her Prawn Masala this month. Other recipes I have pinned for later include: Garlic Chive and Mozzarella Paratha, Mushroom Curry, Chicken Jalfrezi, Turkish Milk Pudding, Bolo-de-fuba Muffins, Seviyan Kheer, Puran Poli, Til Laddoo, Paneer, Sweet Potato Paratha, and Cheese Paratha.
Prawn Masala is an Indian seafood dish prepared by marinated prawns in a seasoned ginger garlic paste, then cooking them with finely chopped vegetables and spices. The prawns are added right at the end to prevent overcooking. Remove from heat as soon as they become pink.

I did not have ginger garlic paste, so I used 1 1/2 tablespoon grated ginger and 1 1/2 tablespoon grated garlic.

I tossed the prawns in the marinade right before I prepared the rest of the recipe. When it was time to add the prawns, they had been marinating for about 30 minutes.

Chili powder is different in Indian cooking than the American chili powder. American chili powder has additional seasonings, while Indian chili powder has only pure ground chiles. If you do not have Indian chili powder available, substitute with cayenne. I decreased the spice a little for personal preference, but that is the great part about cooking at home. You can adjust the spices for your own tastes.

I served the Prawn Masala with Jeera Pulao (Cumin Rice). Other options include naan, chapati, roti, or steamed basmati rice.

Prawn Masala
Adapted from Enriching Your Kid
4 servings

 

3 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon Indian chili powder
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
Masala:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 large onions, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4-1/2 teaspoon Indian chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
2 tablespoons grated coconut
Salt to taste
Chopped cilantro for garnish
In a medium bowl, combine ginger garlic paste, turmeric, and chilli powder. Toss in shrimp to coat well. Allow to marinate while preparing remaining ingredients.

In a large pan, drizzle oil over medium high heat. Add mustard seeds and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until softened. Mix in turmeric, chilli powder, and coriander.

Stir in tomatoes and cook until well softened and beginning to release juices. If still too dry, add up to 1/4 cup water. Stir in the coconut.

Add the marinated prawns and cover the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, just until the prawns are pink and heated through.

Remove from heat, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve immediately with bread or rice.