There are certain dishes that gets me excited to cook and this Prawns Fry is one of them. I guess the reason why I get excited is because for a fact, I know it's going to come out well and the main attraction, it's super quick and easy to cook this dish ;)
The moment the curry leaves hit hot coconut oil, the whole house fills up with that unmistakable Kerala kitchen smell, and your taste buds go into hyper active mode!
This Kerala Style Prawns Fry recipe is a keeper because it's ridiculously simple, doesn't need a long ingredient list, and turns out perfect almost every single time. Great as a side with rice and fish curry, or honestly, just on its own as a snack when you can't wait for the rest of the meal to be ready. I may or may not have a habit of “tasting” half the batch straight off the pan before it reaches the table :)
It's a great dish for entertaining as well. You can do the prep work ahead and the cooking time is max 10 mins. That's a good deal right?
Btw, I got the base recipe from Lejnaskitchen and I just added the sauce part, since I like the prawns to be a bit saucy and who am I kidding, I just cant stay away from coconut milk :)
I do hope you will give this Kerala Style Prawns Fry recipe a try and am sure you will love it!
If you are a Prawns fan, do check out these recipes… Prawns Biriyani, Spicy Butter Garlic Prawns, Sesame Prawns Toast, Kerala Prawns Roast
Kerala Style Prawns Fry
Ingredients
- 300 gms Prawns (I used Tiger prawns, measured after cleaning)
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp Chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp Whole black peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds
- 5-6 Pearl/small onions
- 1 tbsp +1-2 tsp Chopped garlic
- 1 tbsp Red chilli flakes
- 1/4 cup Thick coconut milk
- Salt (to taste)
- 2-3 tbsp Coconut oil
- Curry leaves
Instructions
- Grind together whole black pepper, fennel seeds, small onion, chopped garlic, turmeric powder, both chilli powders and salt with aroud 1 – 1.5 tbsp water into a thick coarse paste.
- Marinate the cleaned prawns with the ground paste for 15-30 mins.
- Heat oil in a wide pan and fry the marinated prawns. Make sure the pan is not crowded. Add a few curry leaves as well. Fry each side for 3-4 mins (depending on the size of the prawns that you are using). The prawns should be cooked through and golden brown in color. You can also cook the prawns in an air fryer as well.
- Transfer the cooked prawns to another plate.
- To the same cooking pan, add more oil if required. Once the oil is hot, add 1-2 tsp chopped garlic, curry leaves and chilli flakes. Cook for 2-3 mins, till the raw smell of garlic goes.
- Add thick coconut milk and mix well. Add the cooked prawns and mix so that the prawns are covered with coconut milk. Cook for 2-3 mins, until the sauce becomes really thick and the prawns are coated well with the coconut milk masala.
- Serve Hot as appetiser or with rice/appam etc;