Malvani Masala Prawns

Ingredients

For the Marination

• Salt as per taste
• 1 tsp of fresh lemon juice

For the Paste

• 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
• 5-6 Whole Kashmiri Red Chillies broken into smaller pieces (For a spicier version, use only whole Sankeshwari red chillies or a mix of Sankeshwari red chillies and Kashmiri red chillies).
• ¾ cup of grated dry coconut
• 2 tbsp of whole coriander seeds
• ½ tsp of cumin seeds
• 3 green cardamoms
• 2 medium sized onions thinly sliced
• One inch stick of cinnamon

For the Malvani Masala Powder

• 2 whole Kashmiri Red Chilly
• ½ tsp of whole coriander seeds
• 1 clove
• 3-4 whole black peppercorns
• A pinch of fennel seeds
• A small pinch of cumin seeds
• A pinch of caraway seeds (Shahi jeera)
• 1 black cardamom
• 1 inch stick of cinnamon
• 2 stone flowers (dagad phool)
• 2-3 nagkeshar
• A pinch of mustard seeds
• A small piece of dried turmeric (or directly use a pinch of turmeric powder while making the powder without dry roasting it first)
• A pinch of asafoetida
• A pinch of nutmeg
• 1 star anise

Other Ingredients

• 400 gms of cleaned and deveined prawns
• 3 tbsp of vegetable oil
• 1 tsp of cumin seeds
• 2 sprigs of curry leaves
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 2 medium sized ripe tomatoes finely chopped
• ¼ tsp of turmeric powder
• 1.5 to 2 tbsp of Malvani garam masala
• Salt as required
• ½ cup of thick coconut milk
• 2 tbsp of chopped fresh coriander leaves

Method

• For Marination
• Wash and pat dry the prawns
• Marinate the prawns with salt and lemon juice and refrigerate for 30 min
• For the Paste
• Dry roast the whole red chilly, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon and green cardamom on a hot pan on low heat until their aroma is released. Transfer them to a plate to cool.
• Dry roast the grated dry coconut on a hot pan on low heat until it becomes light golden in color. Transfer it to a plate to cool.
• Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and sauté the sliced onions until they caramelize and turn a light golden brown color. Transfer it to a plate to cool.
• Once all the ingredients are cooled down, grind them to a fine paste using a mixer grinder. Use water as required so that you get a fine thick paste.
• For the Malvani Masala Powder
• Dry roast all the ingredients one by one on a hot pan on low heat until their aroma is released. Cool them and then grind into a fine powder. This should make about 1.5 to 2 tbsp of powder.
• Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a deep pan.
• Once the oil is hot, reduce the flame add the cumin seeds and after they splutter add the curry leaves.
• After a few seconds, add the chopped onion and sauté them until it turns light golden brown
• Add the chopped tomatoes and cook them until the tomatoes turn pulpy.
• Add the turmeric powder and the ground masala and the Malvani garam masala
• Add salt as required
• Cook the mixture on a low heat until the oil separates from the masala
• Add the prawns and mix everything well. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the prawns are perfectly cooked. Overcooking the prawns will make them hard. Hence take care not to overcook them.
• Once the prawns are cooked, add the coconut milk and mix everything together and cook for another two minutes
• Adjust salt as required.
• Remove the pan from the stove and add the chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with white rice, appam, neer dosa etc.