Prawns In A fig Sauce

As mentioned on my page on Facebook a couple of hours ago..."go get yourselves some fresh figs and await my recipe" Well for those of you who have done so, now rinse them well, cut them to quarters and have them as you read through this post...

If wines are used in deglazing a pan and in many non-veg dishes, then why not a fig reduction.

Just kidding! The figs do go into this simple recipe, they were diced and set aside. I was not able to capture good pics (step by step process) as the phone camera was the most convenient at this point (SD card was full!!! on my DSLR Grrr...)

The prawns were washed and set aside with a little turmeric, salt and the juice of half a lemon. In a clay pot or a saucepan of choice, added a tbsp. of olive oil and to it I added a finely chopped onion (one small) and a finely chopped green chilly...as the onion turns slightly translucent, the chopped figs went into it. I used around five small figs. It was all about the fruit and the prawns coming together, the spices were just the side kicks!!!

I let the figs get mushy in that, reduced the flame, put a lid over the pan and added a tsp. of brown sugar and tamarind paste and as they cook slowly and got to an almost jam like consistency(sticks to your pan), the spices were introduced- a tsp. each of Kashmiri red chilly, coriander powder and pepper powder. Do alter as per your tastes/heat. Add half a cup of water and let it boil. The brown sugar helps to sort of caramelize and darken the curry a bit along with the tamarind. But it is optional and you can skip that part as the figs do have their own sweetness.

Ensure that you do not add a lot of water. I just wanted the curry to arrive at the right consistency where I could see my prawns swimming around once introduced and not totally drowned in the curry.

Slide in the prawns. I have used a handful about eight jumbo prawns and if you didn't count or see eight in the picture...hee ...hee...I do have this awful habit of gobbling one or two in the midst of the cooking process-just checking for the right seasoning would be the excuse I would give you all!

The prawns slowly absorb in the juices of your curry, add salt accordingly keeping in mind that you had added salt when you set aside the prawns after rinsing them. If you feel there isn't enough curry to dip in, do add a bit more water and stir through well, taste.

It is a sweet dish and you can balance it with a dash of lime towards the end if the tamarind hasn't done its job well! Once the prawns blush in the dish turning from the grey to pink, ensuring that they don't turn rubbery, your dish is done. Add a pinch of garam masala, stir, crush a few dry kasuri methi (fenugreek leaves) within your palms and garnish the dish with this.

If required you can add a little coconut milk as well to balance out any heat or if you want more liquid in the dish. I haven't!

Sigh! do feel bad that I couldn't take many pics and from the ones I took this was the only one which turned out clear!

Vegetarian option would be to use soya chunks/paneer/cottage cheese/ baby potatoes/baby corns but do keep in mind that the vegetable has to be in perfect harmony with the fresh figs reduction so there must be perfect marriage when you choose the veggie and do increase the spice accordingly.