Origin: India

Ingredients:

1. Tiger Prawns – 500 grams
2. Onion – 2 medium
3. Green Chillies – 3 medium
4. Coconut Milk – 200ml
5. Yogurt – 2 tablespoon
6. Ginger Paste – 1 teaspoon
7. Oil – 3 tablespoon
8. Ghee – 1 tablespoon
9. Bay Leaves – 3 leaves
10. Dried Red Chillies – 3 medium
11. Cinnamon – 1 inch
12. Cardamom – 4 whole
13. Cloves – 4 whole
14. Turmeric Powder – 1 teaspoon
15. Kashmiri Chilli Powder – 1 teaspoon
16. Garam Masala Powder – 1 teaspoon
17. Sugar – 1 teaspoon
18. Salt – 2 teaspoon

Recipe:

1. Deshell and devein the prawns and wash them under running water.
2. Make a dry marinade of turmeric powder and salt and massage the prawns thoroughly and let it marinate for thirty minutes.
3. Blend the onions into a smooth paste in a blender and whisk the yogurt to remove any lumps.
4. Divide the coconut milk into two halves and dilute one half by adding one-third measure of water.
5. Add oil to a frying pan and let it smoke gently.
6. Add the marinated prawns to the oil and fry both sides for a minute.
7. Set aside the fried prawns and clear the oil of any burnt bits.
8. Add ghee to the remaining oil and let the ghee melt and slightly smoke.
9. Add the whole spices into the frying pan and sauté till a gentle aroma arises from the spices.
10. Add the blended onions and the sugar and keep stirring till the onions turn brown.
11. Pour in some of the diluted coconut milk when the onions start to turn dry.
12. Add the yogurt to the mix and stir vigorously to stop the yogurt from splitting.
13. Add the ginger paste and keep adding the diluted milk whenever the mix turns dry.
14. Add turmeric and chilli powder and the rest of the diluted milk and stir till the mix turn semi-dry.
15. Slit and add the green chillies along with rest of the coconut milk.
16. As the gravy starts to bubble, add the fried prawns back and cook covered for five minutes.
17. Give the prawns a stir and add the garam masala, and let it cook for three more minutes.
18. Remove the cover and cook till the gravy reaches the desired consistency.
19. Turn off the heat and transfer the contents to into a bowl.
20. Serve warm with steamed rice, or even pulao.

Extras:

1. The cooking time depends on the size of the prawns, the larger it is, the longer it takes.
2. In case pressing the coconut milk at home, use second press of milk instead of diluting first press.
3. Garlic can be suggested, but it is recommended to be skipped as it affects the sweet taste of this dish.
4. If the yogurt splits after adding to the pan, stir a little less while adding the next batch of diluted milk and let it dissolve.