Prawns Masala Curry Recipe is a spicy and aromatic Indian Seafood curry. It is a popular recipe in the coastal regions of India. This spicy and flavorful curry is best for seafood lovers. I will share a step-by-step recipe for easy prawns curry with some tips to make it perfect.
Prawns are a good source of protein and nutrients, which makes this dish healthy. To make a quick and simple prawn curry recipe at home, we cook prawns in onion-tomato based gravy with aromatic spices. This curry is mostly served with steamed rice or chapati or roti.
Table of Contents- Recipe card
- Recipe with step by step photos
- frozen prawns and fresh prawns
- Tips to make best prawn curry
- Serving suggestions
- Different variations to make prawns curry
- FAQs
- More curry recipes
Prawn curry has different names in different regions. It is also known as shrimp curry, chingri malai curry, chingri mancher malai curry, royyalu curry or chungadi malai curry. Also, there are lots of variations of prawn masala curry like goan prawn curry, prawn curry with coconut milk, Indian spicy prawn curry, south Indian prawn curry, Thai prawn curry, prawn curry in Kerala style or malvani prawn curry. Let’s make a simple prawn malai curry with the below instructions.
Recipe Card For Prawn Malai Curry:
Prawn Curry [Indian Style] | Prawn Masala Curry
Ingredients
- 200 grams prawns
- 4 onions
- 2 tomatoes
- 5-6 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon grated coconut
- 1-2 green chili
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon chicken masala
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- handful of chopped coriander
- 4 tablespoons oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Making Masala For Prawns Curry:
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan. Add cumin seed to it. saute it and add slices of onion, garlic cloves and chili to it.
- Saute it until the onion turns into light pink color. Now add grated coconut to it.
- Roast it for 2 minutes. Then add chopped tomatoes to it.
- Mix well and cook it until the tomato becomes slightly mushy. Turn off the flame and let it cool.
- Transfer it to a grinder jar. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and ¼ cup of water to it.
- Grind it in a smooth paste. Add more water if required while making the paste.
Making Best Prawns Masala Curry:
- Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a kadhai. Add the ground masala paste to it.
- Cook it on medium flame until it starts to change color and start to separate the oil from it.
- Now, add 2 teaspoons of red chili powder,1 teaspoon of chicken masala, 1 teaspoon of garam masala and ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder to it. Chicken masala adds a good taste to curry, you can skip or replace it with garam masala only.
- Mix well. And cook for a minute. Now add prawns to it. cook it for a couple of minutes.
- Then add 2 cups of hot water to it and let it cook on low flame for 5 minutes. We can add more water to get the desired consistency of the curry.
- Now add chopped coriander leaves and serve hot prawns masala curry with roti and rice.
Nutrition
Get The Best Prawn Masala Curry Recipe
Making Masala For Prawns Curry:
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan. Add cumin seed to it. saute it and add slices of onion, garlic cloves and chili to it.
2. Saute it until the onion turns into light pink color. Now add grated coconut to it.
3. Roast it for 2 minutes. Then add chopped tomatoes to it.
4. Mix well and cook it until the tomato becomes slightly mushy. Turn off the flame and let it cool.
5. Transfer it to a grinder jar. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and ¼ cup of water to it.
6. Grind it in a smooth paste. Add more water if required while making the paste.
Making Best Prawns Masala Curry:
- Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a kadhai. Add the ground masala paste to it.
2. Cook it on medium flame until it starts to change color and start to separate the oil from it. Now, add 2 teaspoons of red chili powder,1 teaspoon of chicken masala, 1 teaspoon of garam masala and ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder to it. Chicken masala adds a good taste to curry, you can skip or replace it with garam masala only.
3. Mix well. And cook for a minute. Now add prawns to it. cook it for a couple of minutes.
4. Then add 2 cups of hot water to it and let it cook on low flame for 5 minutes. We can add more water to get the desired consistency of the curry. Now add chopped coriander leaves and serve hot prawns masala curry with roti and rice.
Frozen Prawns And Fresh Prawns:
Frozen Prawns: Prawns that have been caught, cleaned and then frozen are frozen prawns. They are easily available in the market. And they can be stored for longer periods.
Fresh Prawns: fresh prawns are caught and they are sold in their raw form in the fish market. Fresh prawns are more nutritious and have better taste and texture. But they should be consumed in 1-2 days.
Tips To Make Best Prawn Curry:
- Use fresh and good quality prawns to give good texture and flavor to the curry.
- Saute tomato-onion masala paste and spices properly until they start releasing oil. Then only add prawns to it.
- Don’t overcook prawns. Medium-sized prawns take 5-6 minutes to cook properly.
- To give a creamy texture to gravy, add coconut milk instead of water while making curry.
- Always add a handful of freshly chopped coriander leaves to the curry. They boast the flavor of curry.
Serving Suggestions:
- With rice: serve masala prawns curry with plain rice or jeera rice.
- With Indian bread: we can serve hot prawns curry with Indian flatbread like wheat roti, bajra roti or naan.
- With a side dish: We can serve hot prawns curry, plain rice and Fried fish pieces as a side dish. I prefer to make Bombay duck fry [Bombil fry] with prawns curry.
Different Variations To Make Prawns Curry At Home:
1. With coconut: To make coconut-based prawns curry add coconut milk in gravy or add grated coconut in masala paste of gravy.
2. With onion tomato paste: To make this variation of prawn curry, add onion and tomato masala paste in a gravy without coconut.
3. With tamarind: Add tamarind paste in gravy to make a slightly sweet flavored tamarind-based prawns curry.
4. Goan-style curry: To make tangy flavored Goan-style curry, add a combination of tamarind paste and coconut milk to the curry.
5. Without masala paste: To make this variation, saute finely chopped onion and tomato, then add spices and prawns. And cook in hot water.
FAQs
How long to cook prawns in a curry?
The cooking time of prawns may vary as per size. Medium-sized fresh prawns take 5-8 minutes to cook. Small-sized prawns take 4-5 minutes and large-sized prawns take 10-12 minutes to cook.
Once prawns are cooked they become round in shape. Overcooked prawns turn rubbery, so do not overcook them.
Can you put frozen prawns in a curry?
Yes, you can use frozen prawns to make curry. Make sure the frozen are thawed properly before adding to the curry. To thaw the prawns, take water in a bowl and add frozen prawns to it for 20 minutes.
Is it ok to boil frozen prawns?
Boiling frozen prawns directly is not recommended. For boiling or making any dish from frozen prawns, thaw them first.
Do you wash frozen prawns before cooking?
If it is mentioned on the package that, prawns are washed before frozen, then you can skip washing them. But washing frozen prawns before cooking is good to remove any excess ice from them.
How do you know when prawns are cooked?
Once prawns are cooked they acquire a round shape and become opaque. To check whether they are cooked or not simply put a knife or spoon in them, if the knife gets in easily then they are cooked.
Can you reheat cooked prawns?
Yes. You can reheat the prawns. But reheating them again and again is not recommended.
How do you clean prawns before cooking?
To clean the prawn first step is removing the shell, for that hold the head and leg part of the prawn and twist it gently. Then next is to devein the prawns, give a small cut on the back of the prawn and remove the black color vein from it. After that wash them in running water.
You can also buy cleaned prawns online or even from the fish market.
More Curry Recipes:
Also try our Crispy Bombil Fish Fry | How To Make Bombay Duck Fish Fry
