Keralan king prawn curry

Dave and I did a number of theatre tours during our career together, in which we larked about on stage and did a bit of cooking. This dish, based on the amazing curries we’d enjoyed in South India, was dead quick to make and smelled amazing so went down really well. I reckon we must have cooked it in eighty theatres around the country!

A plate of shrimp in a yellow curry sauce, inspired by a Keralan King Prawn Curry, garnished with fresh coriander

Keralan King Prawn Curry

Info

Serves
3 - 4 people

Ingredients

  • 500g jumbo king prawns, defrosted
  • 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 long red chilli, deseeded
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 25g root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp coconut or olive oil
  • 12 fresh curry leaves
  • 1 tsp black mustard seeds
  • ½ tsp ground fenugreek
  • pinch of asafoetida
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • 200ml coconut milk
  • juice of 1 lime
  • salt and black pepper

To serve

  • 4 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges
  • basmati rice or Indian bread

Method

  1. First, peel the prawns, removing their heads but leaving the tails on to look decorative. Slit the prawns down the back and remove the black stuff – it’s not good to eat.

  2. Put the onion, chilli, garlic and ginger in a food processor and blitz them to a paste. You might need to remove the lid of the food processor and push the mixture down with a rubber spatula a few times.

  3. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the curry leaves, mustard seeds, fenugreek and asafoetida, then fry for 20–30 seconds, or until you smell the delicious aroma. Add the onion, chilli, garlic and ginger paste and fry for another 1–2 minutes.

  4. Add the turmeric, king prawns and a tablespoon of cold water and cook for 1–2 minutes or until the prawns are pink and the water has evaporated. Stir well to cover the prawns in the spice mixture.

  5. Pour in the coconut milk and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 1–2 minutes until the coconut milk is warmed through and the prawns are done. Squeeze over the lime juice.

  6. Garnish with the chopped coriander and lime wedges and serve with rice or Indian bread.