This is a quick stir fried prawn rice, that's popular among Kerala's Syrian Christian households. It marries the sweetness of prawns with the pungency of kokum, on a plain rice canvas. The rich yellow colour comes from the turmeric marinade, with powdered red chilies adding a hint of red and a load of heat. You can use Kashmiri red chilies or paprika for a more muted heat level, but a true Keralite stir fry needs to be tongue tingling spicy. In this recipe, although kokum would be ideal, it can be substituted with a sweet vinegar, like sherry vinegar.
On the rice, I've used rose-matta, as it has a mild earthy taste and fluffy gains that retain their bite. If you're using another rice, cook it al-dente before adding it to the prawn, as else the grain would turn to mush in the vigourous sitrring.
Ingredients
- 150 g prawn, cleaned and deveined
- 1 cup cooked rose matta rice
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tbsp pepper
- 6-7 curry leaves
- 1 green chilli, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 inch ginger, chopped
- 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp oil
Method
- Wash the prawn and marinate it in 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp turmeric and 1 tsp red chilli powder. Rub the marinade into the prawn and leave aside for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a pan and crackle the mustard seeds and curry leaves.
- Add the ginger and garlic and fry on a high heat till the garlic starts to brown.
- Add the onions and chopped green chilli and stir around. Cook until the onions turn translucent.
- Add the prawns and the remaining red chilli powder and sear the prawns on both sides.
- Add the sherry vinegar and when it starts boiling, add the water.
- Add the remaining salt and pepper and cook until the prawns turn a light pink.
- Add the rice and stir vigourously until the masala evenly coats the rice.
- Continue cooking on high heat until it dries out.
- Serve up hot right off the pan with a cold beer or soda.
