Prawn Masala

Prawn Masala - Looks dramatic like a Bollywood movie poster! ;)

We have only last year found this huge seafood market in DC and it has become our stop anytime we are in DC on a leisure ride. They have fresh as well as cooked crabs - some of the best I ever had. Dab them with some garlic butter and you are in heaven! This store is located in Water Street in SouthWest DC quite close to the Phillips Flagship Restaurant - their link is here. There are quite a few other nice seafood places closeby - got to try them someday!

So this time we went there, R found few jumbo Shrimp as well and we have now a new bar for "jumbo" Shrimps. I could only smell these beauties and have them in my list of items to be had next year when I break my fast! ;) Went ahead and made some Masala Prawns for R and he really relished them! When I first started cooking, think Shrimp was the first non-veg item that I got right - so any beginners out there, start with Shrimp - you are less likely to fail compared to cooking other non-veg items! So here we go with the recipe - enjoy the recipe and the pics! :)


Ingredients
Serves 3 or 2

Prawn - Big ones, 6

Sugar - a few pinches, for color
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Dry red chilli - 2
Dry bay leaf - 4-5

Onion-Garlic-Ginger-Tomato Ground Paste "Ba-ta Masala" * - 8 tbsp
Curry Powder - 6 tbsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tbsp
Salt - as per taste
Turmeric - 2-3 tbsp, of which 1.5 tbsp will be used to marinate the Prawns


Crushed Tomato - 1 can
Potato - 1-2 (optional)
Canola oil - 2-3 tbsp

* My staple ground paste of onion-ginger-garlic-tomato consists of 2 onions, 5 garlic cloves, 1-1.5 inch ginger and 2 tomatoes. You can add some fresh green chillies as well, optional.

Method:

Marinate the Prawns with Salt and Turmeric. Keep it aside for 10-15 mins.
Lightly fry them in oil to get them half-cooked. It will later be fully cooked in the gravy.

If you are adding Potatoes, fry the Potatoes in some oil and fully cook them with some Salt and Turmeric Powder. It is a good idea to use the same pan for this dish so that you are not losing or throwing away the flavors of the Prawns.

Heat oil in a pan.
Add Sugar and let it caramelize - it gives the dish a nice color.
Add Cumin seeds, dry red Chilli, dry Bay leaf and let it roast lightly and add flavor to the oil. When the Cumin seed sizzles, that is a good indicator that the oil is ready for the ground paste ("ba-ta masala", as we Odiyas say).
Add the ground paste of Onion-Garlic-Ginger-Tomato.
When the paste is half-cooked, add the dry spices - Curry Powder, Coriander Powder, Salt and Turmeric.
Mix it well and let it cook for a few mins.
Add the crushed tomato and mix it well. Let it cook well.
Add the fried Prawns. Mix well and let it cook.
About 10 mins before stopping the heat, add the fried Potatoes and mix it well.

Prawn masala in preparation stage...how much longer? :p

R enjoyed his Prawn Masala with Chakuli. Recipe for Chakuli here.

Prawn Masala with Odiya Chakuli