Recipe: Supriya's Kerala Prawn Masala

In a land that grows pepper, cardamom, cloves, vanilla, ginger and was the ancient home of the spice trade, it is only natural for Kerala to celebrate its edible treasures.

I feel it is a blessed country having such a bounty of precious spices, as well as a fertile coastline teeming with fish. Nowhere else in India have I seen a cornucopia of so vast a fresh catch -- prawns, crabs, kingfish, sea bass, mackerel, snapper, dorado, calamari, shellfish, sardines, pomfret and a many local fish whose English names I couldn't tell you.

I once ate a tasty fish that the fishmonger called rice fish because it came from the flooded rice paddies dotting the countryside.

So understandably, I am more than a little partial to cooking mainly seafood dishes from this region. And the Malayalis have mastered the spice combinations that best enhance the flavours of seafood.

In 20 years of being married to Malayali, I've eaten scores of fish dishes cooked in my mother-in-law's kitchen and in eateries big and small. Yet my enthusiasm fails to wane.

Kerala Prawn Roast or Chemmeen Masala (as it is locally known) or Kerala Prawn Masala, as I like to call it, enjoys great popularity in the state. You will find it on the menu of every restaurant that serves Malayali food worth its salt.

Like Chicken Tikka Masala, there are countless versions of prawn roast. Some, cook the shrimp in the masala and then deep fry until crisp. Others add vinegar, Still others pour in coconut milk. I am yet to figure out which is the real McCoy. Maybe it doesn't matter because they are all so delicious.

My Kerala Prawn Masala recipe does not use vinegar or coconut milk. And I refuse to deep fry my prawns because that renders these perfectly moistly delicious morsels tasteless dry and rubbery.

What I like to do instead, at the very end -- when the prawns are cooked to a juicy succulence, and are smothered in the spicy masala -- is to raise the heat to high and very quickly fry them just for a minute or so. This helps the rice flour in the masala to crisp up a little, while the prawns retain their texture.

Anyway, you will notice, when you read the recipe, that it has many levels and types of heat -- from the ginger, black pepper, red chilly powder, sliced green chillies and powdered cloves and cinnamon. Each registers on a different area of your tongue, mouth and throat.

Honestly, there's more than a moderate amount of heat here, but that's the allure of this dish. So, if you think it is more than what you're used to, add a little coconut milk to sweeten it or leave out the fresh chillies or simply reduce the quantity of spices.

Just don't cut back too much because then it's no longer prawn masala Kerala-style. And, never be frugal with the curry leaves.

It is a fast-cooking dish, best eaten fresh and piping hot with plain boiled rice and a dal or sambar. Or by itself as an appetiser to accompany ice-cold beers. The heat and the chilly dance a close tango on the tongue, a pairing made in food heaven.

I promise that your tongue, olfactory glands and brain are sure to surrender to Kerala prawn masala, just like mine did, all those years ago.

Supriya Kutty calls herself a home cook and a culinary adventurer.

Kerala Prawn Masala

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 500 gm medium to large prawns
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 1-inch piece ginger, julienned (sliced into thin matchsticks)
• 6-8 pods garlic, thinly sliced
• 20-30 curry leaves, some chopped, some whole
• 3-4 fresh green chillies, slit lengthwise
• 1 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
• 1 tsp haldi or turmeric powder
• 2 tsp red chilly powder
• 1 tsp dalcheeni or cinnamon powder
• 2 tsp brown dhania or coriander powder
• ½ tsp powdered laung or cloves
• 1 tsp ground sonf or fennel seeds
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp rice flour
• Salt to taste, about 1½ tsp

Method

• Marinate the cleaned and de-veined prawns with a few pinches salt, 1 tsp of the chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric.
  Keep aside for 5 minutes.
• Warm the coconut oil in a saucepan or a kadhai over medium heat.
  Add the sliced onions and saute for 2-3 minutes till the onions start to caramelise slightly.

• Now add the ginger, garlic, green chillies.
  Saute for a further 3-4 minutes.
• Add in the prawns and the chopped curry leaves and mix well with the onion masala.
  Continue to cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring intermittently.

• The prawns will release some moisture.
  Allow the water to dry up till the spice paste has a thick, coating consistency.
• Once the prawns are cooked and the masala coats them, adjust salt or seasoning and then add the ground black pepper, cinnamon powder, powdered cloves, fennel powder, remaining chilly powder.
  Mix well.
  Toss in the remaining whole curry leaves and sprinkle in the rice powder.
  Mix thoroughly and quickly stir fry over high heat for a minute.
• Turn off the heat and serve hot.

Supriya's Note: Use medium to slightly big prawns, so that they don't drown in the masala -- spice paste.

Keep all the ingredients ready before you begin because almost all of them go in, one after another, in the beginning, before the prawns, and you don't want things to burn or overcook, while you're frantically chopping in the middle of cooking.

Supriya Kutty is a New Delhi-based food blogger and you can find more of her recipes on her blog Quiche 'n' Tell.

• REDIFF FOOD