Prawns / Shrimp

[Suvir Saran]

Tandoori Prawns

12 Jumbo Shrimps

1/2 cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons ginger paste

3 tablespoons garlic paste

salt to taste

3 tablespoons chickpea flour

1 teaspoon carom seeds

1 teaspoon white pepper powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

2 cups yogurt

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon chaat masala

1 lemon

1. Preheat oven to 350?F.

2. Mix the ginger, garlic, lemon juice, salt, chickpea flour, carom seeds, white pepper powder, garam masala, turmeric and yogurt nicely. Add the yogurt a 1/4 cup at a time to ensure you have no lumps in the marinade.

3. Marinade the jumbo shrimp in this for at least 2 hours.

4. Grill in the tandoor, or in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cook for 15 minutes. Toss the half-cooked shrimp in melted butter.

5. Place back into the tandoor or oven and cook for another 5 minutes, or until done.

6. Arrange on a platter and sprinkle the shrimp with lemon juice and chaat masala.

[Simon Majumdar]

HOT AND SOUR PRAWNS

This is a wonderful dish adapted ( i.e buggered around with by me ) from a goan recipe

It is one of the few cases where the sauce is cooked first and then the seafood, being quite delicate, is added right at the end.

INGREDIENTS

GROUND SPICES

1 tsp Ginger

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Fenugreek

1 tsp Turmeric

2 tsp Chilli powder

1 tsp sugar

WHOLE SPICES

2 Whole dried chillies

1 tsp Cumin Seed

2 Green Cardomon pods

OTHER

1 Large Onion ( finely chopped )

1 garlic clove ( finely chopped )

8 Tomatoes ( peeled and de-seeded )

2 Limes ( Juice ) + zest of one lime

1/4 cup of Tamarind pulp

1 buch of Cilantro ( chopped roughly - take that Cilantro! )

1 pint of fish stock or water

For the Prawns you can go one of two ways

1) 1 Large bag of shell-off frozen prawns ( defrosted )

2) Large Shell- On prawns ( in shell )

METHOD

Fry the whole spices in a little nut oil for at least a minute.

Add the onion and garlic and sweat for one more minute before adding the ground spices. Sweat again for one more minute allowing all the onions and garlic to be coated in the spices.

Add the tomatoes and cook until they begin to break down. Once they do add the tamarind ( this is not to everyone's taste so you can alter the amount as you prefer ) and half the stock/water.

Cook this down for about 20 mins or until it has reduced by half, then add the remaining stock/water. Cook down for a further 20 mins or until the sauce is reduced to quite a thick consistency.

Add the prawns and cook on a low heat until they are cooked through.

Mix in the cilantro and serve with the lime juice and zest sprinkled on top

I love tis dish, as it has fire and spice but a wonderful two-tone sourness from the Tamarind and limes

S

[Brad S]

Those are wonderful recipes you shared.

I am reading a recipe by jaffrey that I think I will try soon.

Prawns/Shrimp cooked in the Maharashitian manner.

After I prepare it I will offer her recipe

[Adam Balic]

Simon that looks like an excellent recipe. I have made some similar, sealed it in a papadum then fried it as finger food stuff. One question, what does the Fenugreek add to the recipe? I have trouble with this item as it doesn't seem to taste of much, but it is widely used. Is it like, some type of flavour enhancer?

[Simon Majumdar]

Fenugreek is a staple of Bengali and Tamil spice mixes

It is one of the main ingredients in Panch Phoron ( although our family recipe does not include it )

I like its slight bitterness ( although many westerners do not - it can be mellowed by dry roasting ) and can usually tell if it is absent. I think, along with Cumin, it is the most India smelling of spices

It is used a lot in the middle east for pickles.

It is never necessary to use it, but I think it adds depth

S

[jaybee]

Simple recipe for very fresh prawns or shrimp.

Clean and devein, remove heads.

Reserve shells for shrimp stock. Boil shells in water to cover for 15-20 moinutes. Discard shells, add herbs or seasoning to stock to taste, or leave unseasoned.

2 oz cognac or armagnac.

Peel and chop 2-6 garlic cloves medium mince.

Sprinkle shrimp with cayanne pepper to taste.

add 2 tbs butter and 2 tbs olive oil to saute pan. Heat to near smoking.

Add shrimp to pan and stir until they are slightly brown.

Remove pan from heat and pour cognac in.

As it steams, place back on fire to burn alcohol off.

Do this carefully as flames will shoot quite high.

Continue to shake pan until flames go out.

Add minced garlic to the pan and saute until golden brown.

Remove all from pan and place in a bowl to keep warm.

Deglaze pan with some of the shrimp stock and boil down until liquid is thick.

Pour this over the shrimp in the bowl.

Shrimp may be served over greens, over pasta, over rice

or with scrambled eggs.

[Adam Balic]

Thanks for the info. Either my spice is old and tired or my Westerner taste buds need fine tuning. Have enjoyed Fenugreek greens (menthi?) in various forms, prefered to spinach in some cases.

Indian Prawn recipe.

Take Simon's recipe above, except add the raw prawns cut up into 2 cm bits. Take small Papadum and dip into water, wipe of excess water add small amount of filling and either fold (carefully) and seal or roll into a spring roll type thing (harder to do). Helps to use toothpicks for this. Deep fry. Eat with plenty of lime juice squeezed over and beer as chaser. Not sure where I picked up this recipe, has all the hallmarks of not being particularly authentic Indian. Is the idea of stuffing Papadums objectional? Is there a better way of getting the same flavour/texture without all the buggering about with papadums?

[Suvir Saran]

Indian Prawn recipe.

Take Simon's recipe above, except add the raw prawns cut up into 2 cm bits. Take small Papadum and dip into water, wipe of excess water add small amount of filling and either fold (carefully) and seal or roll into a spring roll type thing (harder to do). Helps to use toothpicks for this.  Deep fry. Eat with plenty of lime juice squeezed over and beer as chaser. Not sure where I picked up this recipe, has all the hallmarks of not being particularly authentic Indian. Is the idea of stuffing Papadums objectional? Is there a better way of getting the same flavour/texture without all the buggering about with papadums?

Stuffed Deep Fried Papad is an "ancient Indian" recipe.

But I have never had it stuffed with prawn. How exciting! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe. I will try it, and if it can be made with ease by most home chefs, I would love to borrow it from you (only if you agree) and give credit to you and see if I can add it to my cookbook.

I was doing a few recipes with Stuffed papad, but this seems wonderful.

There is nothing objectionable about it, in fact, when things are "deep fried" and made with Papad, you are certain to please and charm most any Indian. We love papad, we love stuffed foods and we love deep fried. At least a large number of us.

Thanks for sharing this with us.

[Suvir Saran]

One question, what does the Fenugreek add to the recipe? I have trouble with this item as it doesn't seem to taste of much, but it is widely used. Is it like, some type of flavour enhancer?

Some information on Fenugreek

[Suvir Saran]

I have trouble with this item as it doesn't seem to taste of much, but it is widely used. Is it like, some type of flavour enhancer?

Adam,

Maybe you have old seeds. Fenugreek has a lot of flavor. And in fact, it is one of those great spices that is rejected by many for it has a bitter flavor.

I have friends that are Indians born in the US. They too cannot fathom fenugreek. For their largely western palates (and I speak of my friends alone, that grew up in the US, eating mostly American food) this is a spice they detest. They find it "TOO bitter", too pungent and often also very nutty.

But as Simon points out, it is a key ingredient in Southern India and also Bengal. It is also used in small amounts across most of India.

Those recipes that call for it certainly rely on its inclusion to add a great depth of flavor. Often one misses fenugreek seeds when biting into foods that have them, only to later find one that somehow managed to stay in our mouths. These will explode with a bitter taste and you will certainly then taste their essential oil and flavor.

The seeds are added whole in sauces that are cooked for long periods of time. These sauces will soften them and the seeds become bigger and soft. They then impart a bitter but creamy taste.

In certain sauces these seeds are ground and added to give both bitterness and also to thicken the sauce.

Fenugreek seeds are also added to rice and beans that are being soaked for the preparation of Dosai and Idli. They help in the fermentation of the grains.

[Suvir Saran]

Anari Jhinga

8 Jumbo Prawns, heads removed, deveined and slit, pat dried

2 tablespoons malt vinegar

1/2 teaspoon white pepper powder

salt to taste

2 teaspoons ginger paste

1 teaspoon garlic paste

1/2 cup cooked fresh, or thawed frozen peas, crushed coarsely to an oat meal consistency

2 tablespoons grated mild cheddar cheese

1/4 cup finely chopped onions, tossed in a teaspoon rice vinegar

1 inch, ginger root, finely diced

1 tablespoon cilantro leaves, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder

3 tablespoons tomato ketchup

1 cup pomegranate seeds

Mild cheddar cheese for topping

1. Preheat oven to 300?F.

2. Mix malt vinegar, white pepper, salt, ginger and garlic together. Rub the shrimps well in this and leave to marinade for 45 minutes.

3. Cut 8, 12 inch squares of aluminum foil. Grease each on one side. Place each prawn on a single square.

4. Mix the crushed peas, cheese, onions, ginger, cilantro, cumin, lemon juice, black pepper, tomato ketchup and pomegranate seeds nicely in a bowl.

5. Top each prawn with this mixture. Grate some cheese on top of each and wrap the foil tightly.

6. Place the wrapped parcels on a single layer in a baking tray.

7. Bake for 10 minutes. Serve removed from foil and with lemon wedges.

[Adam Balic]

Suvir - Wow, those links are fantastic, you sure have been putting in a lot of effort in this board. I am glad to see that the recipe has some authentic roots! It should be pretty easy for home cooking (which after all is what I do), but in fairness, any credit should really go to Simon since I so brazenly stole his prawn recipe!

I will go down to the local middle-eastern store and buy some "fresh" dried Fenugreek seeds, mine are obviously over the hill. I will tell you what I think of them.

[Monica Bhide]

I do a simple appetizer of shrimp dressed with a chili sambhal and finely chopped basil, then grill it.. ready to go!

[Monica Bhide]

This recipe is from my book, "THe Spice is Right: Easy Indian Cooking for Today". I hope you all enjoy it, it has been one of the most widely published recipes from the book

Shrimp in Coconut Milk

When I first started making this dish, I used regular coconut milk. It tasted wonderful but was so high in fat that I felt guilty each time we ate it! Quite by chance I discovered light coconut milk. Voila! The results are delicious and the fat is limited.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon red chile powder

Leaves from 3 sprigs of cilantro

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 large tomato, chopped

salt to taste

1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated

1/4 cup light coconut milk

6 cloves garlic, mashed

1/2 cup water

2 to 3 green chiles - chopped

Garnish: Finely chopped fresh cilantro

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Serves 4

Tips: Pure coconut milk is extremely high in saturated fat. If you decide to use it, do so sparingly to get the flavor minus the fat.

In a large saucepan heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds; as soon as they crackle add the curry leaves, tomato, ginger, garlic, and green chiles. Saute gently for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft. Stir in the shrimp; cook for 5 minutes. Add the chile powder, turmeric, and salt; cook for 1 minute. Add the coconut milk and water. Let the mixture come to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are tender. Garnish with the coriander before serving.

Variations: If you do not like coconut milk, you can replace it with water.

Per Serving: Calories: 350; Protein: 57 g; Carbohydrates: 2 g; Fat: 12 g

[Suvir Saran]

Monica what brand of light coconut milk do you use?

What difference does it really make to the consistency of the sauce?

Could you use a little less of the regular coconut milk and not achieve the same result?

Or is there really something very different that happens when using light coconut milk that you think is essential for your recipe above?

[Monica Bhide]

good questions Suvir. the differences is really in the fat content. part of the promise of Spice is Right, is to deliver healthy recipes. I wanted to create a recipe that does not radically affect the flavor. The sauce is a bit thinner, not enough to be noticeable. I think it does deliver the flavor. Coconut milk is very high in saturated fat and we are seriously watching our cholestrol levels. I tried a number of combinations along with the nutirtionst and this one worked quite well

[Suvir Saran]

good questions Suvir. the differences is really in the fat content. part of the promise of Spice is Right, is to deliver healthy recipes. I wanted to create a recipe that does not radically affect the flavor. The sauce is a bit thinner, not enough to be noticeable. I think it does deliver the flavor. Coconut milk is very high in saturated fat and we are seriously watching our cholestrol levels. I tried a number of combinations along with the nutirtionst and this one worked quite well

Aah.. I am always suspicious of what can be lost in keeping the promise of eating healthy. So much can be lost in the healthful part if one is not very careful in reading labels for things supposedly light or better for you. They may contain additives and stabilizers that are worse in the long run, or at least not tested by time.

But yes, if you can find a reliable option, as you feel you have, well worth it. I am in the school where you use less and get reliable results. I use coconut milk sparingly, but always the real thing. Like with butter or ghee, you can use little, but get greater flavor. There are those friends of mine that use butter alternatives and lots of it, thinking they are using something healthier, but in the end, it is just as bad. And what is worse, it does not taste right. Taste Is Right is the most important criteria when it comes to cooking for me. And the next is Moderation. If you can learn the latter, one hardly ever needs to compromise.

So back again to Coconut Milk. What brand do you use? Where do you get it?

[Monica Bhide]

good questions Suvir. the differences is really in the fat content. part of the promise of Spice is Right, is to deliver healthy recipes. I wanted to create a recipe that does not radically affect the flavor. The sauce is a bit thinner, not enough to be noticeable. I think it does deliver the flavor. Coconut milk is very high in saturated fat and we are seriously watching our cholestrol levels. I tried a number of combinations along with the nutirtionst and this one worked quite well

Aah.. I am always suspicious of what can be lost in keeping the promise of eating healthy. So much can be lost in the healthful part if one is not very careful in reading labels for things supposedly light or better for you. They may contain additives and stabilizers that are worse in the long run, or at least not tested by time.

But yes, if you can find a reliable option, as you feel you have, well worth it. I am in the school where you use less and get reliable results. I use coconut milk sparingly, but always the real thing. Like with butter or ghee, you can use little, but get greater flavor. There are those friends of mine that use butter alternatives and lots of it, thinking they are using something healthier, but in the end, it is just as bad. And what is worse, it does not taste right. Taste Is Right is the most important criteria when it comes to cooking for me. And the next is Moderation. If you can learn the latter, one hardly ever needs to compromise.

So back again to Coconut Milk. What brand do you use? Where do you get it?

I agree with you. Eating in moderation is the key, even low fat stuff is harmful if you eat too much of it. I cook with ghee and real coconut milk as well... sparingingly is the key and have made the same suggestion in the book as well... eat what you love. My book is not about 2 grams of fat or less, it does have recipes that are deep fried... the key is to reduce portions.. but still eat what you enjoy.

I think the brand in my pantry is GOYA. I will have to check