Prawns Malvani Curry

The yummy dish for a perfect weekend treat!!

I have always being a seafood lover. As a kid, fish fry or prawns fry were on top of the list. Today if you ask me it is definitely seafood curry with steamed rice. Nothing beats it. The first time I tasted authentic Malvan Fish Curry was in 2006, on a one month vacation to my aai’s (mother in law) hometown – Vengurla. It was one of my most memorable vacations. Living absolutely like the local people was an enriching experiences. My in laws are vegetarians but aai, knowing I ate Non-Veg, insisted that I must eat the home cooked fish curry. And I felt absolutely blessed!! I remember Manju, my sister in law, grinding 4-5 full coconuts by hand on the stone grinder (pata-varvanta / sil-batta) the first thing in the morning. All the efforts to remove fresh coconut milk for the Fish Curry. We have electric mixer – grinders and also have the option of store bought coconut milk. So lets dig in to make lip smacking Malvani Prawns Curry!!

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To a broad thick bottomed pan add 2 tablespoon oil, fry onions for 2 minutes, then add tomatoes. Fry till onion and tomatoes are tender enough. Then add the grated coconut and fry till it turns pinkinsh brown. Remove on a plate to cool.

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To the same pan, add 1 tablespoon oil and fry ginger, garlic for 2 to 3 minutes and add khaskhas. Fry till the seeds start popping. Remove on a plate to cool. Transfer onion, tomatoes, coconut mixture along with ginger, garlic and khaskhas mix to a grinder jar. Grind along with a little water (I used half glass) to a smooth paste.

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Crush elaichi seeds and kali miri a little in mortar pestle. To the same pan, with 2 tablespoon oil (Don’t worry about all the oil. This is a treat for the hard working bodies and souls) add the Jeera, Rai, Kali Miri, Elaichi, tejpatta, Lavang, Triphala, karipatta and 1 teaspoon Mirchi powder. Triphala is one special spice used in Malvan/Konkan area. Its speciality is that it minimises the fishy odour and gives a nice spicy touch.

Then add in the ground curry paste. Fry well for 5 minutes till oil seperates and it becomes nice thick.

After 5 minutes of frying the paste, add 1 and half teaspoon of Malvani Masala. Now this totally depends on your taste preference. Actually for normal adults you can add in 1 and half tablespoon. But I was making this curry keeping in mind my little daughter was going to relish it as well. Though she enjoys spicy food, I try to limit the spices for her. And again honestly, it is not necessary that a lot of spice powder is going to make the dish more tastier. In fact timing is equally important. If you add you garam masala like masalas towards the end of cooking the flavour really stays and enhances. I have put Malvani Masala in exact midway. 2 reasons. Malvani Masala has chilly powder so it should be cooked well. And it has garam masala too so not ideal to add in the oil or else the flavour will be lost. Such blends of mirchi and garam masala should be ideally used in the midway of cooking a dish.

Pour in the coconut milk once the paste and masala is properly fried. This combination of Coconut milk and Malvani Masala is going to give your curry a appetising dark orange colour and of course the yummy rich taste.

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Adjust the water for consistency. Do not make it too thin. A little thick curry tastes awesome. Add the salt and kokum petals as well at this time. Once it starts to bubble up, add the marinated prawns. Cook for maximum 3 minutes more and switch off the flame. Serve immediately with hot steamed rice. You can prepare the curry and keep. And add the prawns just before starting the dinner. That way your prawns will never be chewy or rubbery. Never ever over-cook the prawns.

Just as the prawns have taken the ‘C’ shape.. switch off. And EAT.. RELISH immediately. No need for and fancy accompaniment. Just hot steamed rich and a yummy treat is ready!!

I have used MOMmade Malvani Mazala which is made from the authentic malvan recipe and is perfectly spicy with almost 17 whole spices and 4 types of chillies along with khaskhas which makes it a perfect Malvani Masala. I personally recommend seafood lovers to try this. Similarly I have used MOMmade Mirchi Powder and MOMmade Haldi Powder.

P.S. Note: You can definitely try the same process with other seafood options. Like pompfret, surmai, ravas or any other fish. I am yet to try this with crabs.

Hope my recipes really make your weekend absolutely yummy coz thats the mantra (resolution) for 2020 – ‘Yumminess Everyday‘.

BE YUMMY. BE HEALTHY.

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