Prawn Curry

A fragrant, coconutty curry that’s laced with the flavour of sweet prawn meat. This Prawn Curry, also known as Prawn Masala Curry is of Indian origin and it’s truly delicious. I opted for a spicier version, which is optional, but I love taming the heat with coconut milk and fresh cubes of buttery avocado. I then serve it with fluffy basmati rice, fresh coriander and chilies.

Prawn Masala Curry is known as a flavorful dish with roots in Indian coastal cuisine. It reflects the culinary traditions of regions along the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, where fresh prawns are a staple. It’s a tasty example of how regional ingredients and traditional Indian spices come together to create a dish that is beloved both in India and around the world.

I like buying avocados from Food Lover’s Market, who work with I Love Avos SA. They stock both the green skinned and dark skinned avocados at various outlets so you can just grab and go. I usually buy a couple that are ripe and then an excessive amount of unripe ones. As soon as they’re soft to the touch, I like pickling them and use it in salads, tacos and grilled proteins and more. You can also slice them and pop them in the freezer for up to a month. Pretty cool.

overview

preparation

Bring all the ingredients together, this’ll ensure a more pleasant cooking experience. If your prawns isn’t fresh but frozen then first, defrost the prawns. Then clean and devein the prawns (if that’s not already been done by your fish monger). Note: defrosting frozen items in cold water will ensure it defrosts faster than warm water. Dice the onions and tomatoes and set aside until you’re ready to start cooking.

time:

The cooking of the curry sauce takes about 80% of the cooking time. The prawns only needs to cook for just over 5 minutes. So cook the curry/masala until it’s thick and you see traces of oil on top. Reduce the heat completely and add the prawns. Cook just until the tails curl up to C shape, meaning they are cooked. Avoid overcooking to prevent them rubbery. Just before adding the garam masala, fresh coriander and avocado, and the residual heat will finish off the prawns perfectly.

stove top:

This curry can easily be done in 30 minutes (prep work included) but naturally, like with any recipe, it always seems more complicated than it really is. I also cook the basmati rice simultaneously – so you can have a creamy, rich and fragrant prawn curry in 30 minutes. You can do it, tastebud 🙂

Heat level:

Naturally you can add no chili powder or fresh chilies – you could also ad more if you’re a heat fanatic. I’ve added avocados to many of my curries without it having to be spicy but when I am in the mood for the spice and avocado combo then it’s always a winning combinations. Just note that the chili powder doesn’t always (depending on the brand) add a ton of heat to a recipe but one thing is for sure, it adds flavour and colour so I wouldn’t skip the chili powder even if you don’t like heat.

PROTEIN:

If you grew to love this recipe then I can understand you wanting to perhaps keep the base of the recipe the same but perhaps change up the protein. You could add a mix of seafood or poach whole fillets of fish in the curry. Again, seafood cooks very quickly so pop it in the curry for 5 or so minutes and allow the residual heat to finish the job.

servings:

This recipe can comfortably serve 2 people – this obviously depends on how much you think the average person eats but I enjoy larger servings. But you can easily double the amount of prawns used and keep the rest of the recipe as is. there’ll be enough curry sauce to go around

Prawn Curry

This Prawn Curry or Prawn Masala is a fragrant, rich and pretty simple curry that's laced with beautiful seafood aromatics. Served with basmati rice.

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: curry, prawns, seafood

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 2

Author: The Big Tasty Bite

Ingredients

Prawn Curry

• 3 tbsp oil olive oil or vegetable
• 750 grams prawns 16/20 see notes
• 1 large white onion finely diced
• 2 large tomatoes finely diced
• 4 medium red or green chilies stalk removed and halved, optional
• 2 cloves fresh garlic finely diced
• 2 tsp fresh ginger finely diced
• 200 ml warm water
• 400 ml coconut milk
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 ¼ tsp cumin powder
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 ¼ tsp ground coriander
• 1 ¼ tsp salt or to taste
• 1 ¼ tsp garam masala
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander washed, dried and chopped
• 1 large ripe avocado cut into chunks

Instructions

• In a medium saucepan, bring oil to a medium heat and add diced onions. Fry for 5 minutes or until lightly caramelized.
• Add the chopped tomatoes, cover, and allow to simmer for 5minutes or until softened.
• Add fresh chilies, garlic and ginger. Sauté for 2 minutes and add turmeric, chili powder, coriander, cumin and salt. Sauté until the spices become fragrant.
• Add warm water, cover and allow to simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened and you see traces of oil on top.
• Add the cleaned prawns and coconut milk. Simmer on medium heat for 5minutes and then fully reduced the heat.
• Add the garam masala, fresh coriander and mix well. Salt to taste.
• Add chunks of ripe avocado to curry and mix gently before serving on a bed of rice. Garnish with fresh coriander and chili. Enjoy, Tastebud!

Video

Notes

1. Prawns: If using head on: 750 grams gross (head and shell on) /approx. 300 grams net (once head and shell removed). Alternatively, buy precleaned prawns for your convenience. If the budget allows it you can easily double the amount of prawns used and continue with the recipe as it is. I love adding extra prawns, especially when they're on special.
2. Storage: Store for up to 2-3 days in the fridge.