Chemmeen Chooru

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

1. 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.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and crackle the mustard seeds and curry leaves.
3. Add the ginger and garlic and fry on a high heat till the garlic starts to brown.
4. Add the onions and chopped green chilli and stir around. Cook until the onions turn translucent.
5. Add the prawns and the remaining red chilli powder and sear the prawns on both sides.
6. Add the sherry vinegar and when it starts boiling, add the water. 
7. Add the remaining salt and pepper and cook until the prawns turn a light pink.
8. Add the rice and stir vigourously until the masala evenly coats the rice.
9. Continue cooking on high heat until it dries out.
10. Serve up hot right off the pan with a cold beer or soda.