Prawn Masala (My Style)

There's so much additional beauty in the wee hours in my kitchen, on my own, with the family fast asleep-I love cooking and preparing fancy dishes as the sunlight seeps through my window pane. It's almost like I feel I am exposed to the radiant light and I draw my inspiration from that point onwards.

In my right senses I should be doing a few sun salutations thanking nature for its existence...but at this point I thought I would rather get my recipe going before the sun escapes to reach out to others' kitchen windows as well :) People can be selfish...

Kept aside a few marinated prawns(from Supreme SeaFood, Chennai) the other day in a nice ziplock bag(marinated in turmeric, salt and lemon juice), took them out and left them to thaw while I got about with my chopping and spice mixing.

Oooh! almost feel like our spice queen of Zaiqa, The Spice Store...but her young nose and fingertips are experienced in concocting these spices. I am the kind who mixes and matches(as I do with my clothes and junk jewellery),more like an opportunist and no deeper research than that and am so dependent on either spices from Zaiqa or my Kerala Eastern masalas.

Truly laudable with regard to the hardwork the spice queen of Zaiqa and my very good friend has created...self made!sheer perserverance and the support of her family and well wishers. Her facebook page has been added herewith and also in an old posting of mine on grilled mushrooms.

 Finely chopped a handful of shallots/sambhar onions. In a tbsp. of coconut oil allowed a tsp. of mustard to crackle,threw in a tsp. of fennel seeds(My late mama used to say it's always good for digestion-I miss u ma terribly :( ),then slid in these chopped shallots, as they sauteed, added in freshly ground ginger and garlic...Oh dear! that's the smell I want to capture in a bottle...oh boy!coconut oil, shallots, fresh ginger...alerts all the senses and that gets me real excited...while they toss about, add in a quarter tsp. of turmeric, do remember that your prawns had been marinating in turmeric.

The partners in crime follow suit-two tbsps. of coriander, a tbsp. of chilly powder,pepper powder-toss, stir, saute, fry all on a low flame and by now I am on a high-high on spices! then goes our Godfather of spices(specific to this dish) into this dish...sheesh!how gender insensitive could I get! Ladies first-so Godmother :) and that is my Eastern Meat Masala. Yup, she is my Helen Of Troy who would launch my prawn dish and take it a notch further! and now everything turns real dry, perhaps you are already sneezing by now, Well I am...don't worry! am sneezing away from my dish, do add a tbsp. of water to the spices.

Place a few coconut bits as well(like how one would find in a typical Kerala beef fry) This step is optional. Add in adequate salt, be aware that the prawns were marinated in salt so adjust accordingly.

All spices are to be adjusted according to your individual requirements. I have stated the spice requirements for roughly half a kilo or less of medium sized prawns.
Slide in your prawns, stir them and allow the spices to coat them all evenly. I have not added any tomatoes, you could if you wish. I did add a little vinegar while the prawns were getting cooked, drizzled in a little tomato ketchup as well. I just need my ketchup and am obsessed with that little bit of sweetness!

The entire cooking is done on a low flame, do stir from time to time until most of the masalas coat the prawns and the gravy reduces. Taste the dish for spice and salt. Towards the last leg of the cooking process, add a tsp. of Kashmiri Chilly powder and throw in some curry leaves and a light drizzle of coconut oil before serving.

Ta-Da!
This is the grand finale and I stand alone in the kitchen and applaud! One dish done and many more to go for the day! To be eaten nice n hot! Psst...I've already gulped down a couple of them.

 If you do not want the dish to be dry, you can add water to dilute/ to get more volume and later thicken it with coconut milk.

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"Three things cannot be long hidden: The Sun, The Moon and The Truth."-Buddha