If you love prawns and also a quick and easy recipe with it, then this is it. In fact, you can even make this for your weekday lunch/dinner and pair it up with parathas and a side of onion rings
This spicy prawns masala with coconut is one of my ever favourite prawn recipes. And this one again is maa’s gems. She makes it, not as often as the Bengali prawn curries that she cooks, hence it tastes extremely special and delicious whenever she makes this. Not that the others aren’t yummy, but this recipe is slightly different than the regulars. In Bengali cuisine, we don’t use curry leaves, traditionally. Secondly, is the addition of the coconut shavings, which also is uncommon. And just the addition of both these ingredients elevates the taste of this spicy prawns masala more. That is why, whenever maa makes it, it’s a break from our regular “bong” curries. Moreover, with my father and brother both being allergic to shellfish, it is maa and I who devour his entire bowl of deliciousness. Sometimes with rotis and/or parathas and sometimes just as is.
That’s the beauty of this super amazing spicy prawns masala with coconut. You can dish this one out as an appetizer as well as a side dish. My recipe is perfected to suit both styles. In fact, if you add some water and make a curry out of this, it is going to taste great even with rice. However, when I made it a few weeks back, we polished it off with parathas. So, it is completely up to you, how you’d like to have it. Since prawns don’t take a lot of time to cook, this one is a quick and easy recipe. Also, all masalas that you will need for this recipe are the regular Indian ones. This is just a case of regular stuff coming to create something truly yummy!
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Sorshe narkel chingri (mustard coconut prawn curry)
Prawns with spring onions and fenugreek leaves
Misa maach poora (grilled prawns)
To shell or not to shell
Now, you can see I’ve used shell on prawns for my masala prawns recipe. However, you can use the shelled ones too. Having said that I will also say, the shell on ones impart much more flavour than their shelled counter parts. So even if you take the heads off, you could still keep their shells on. But, this is a personal choice and you can choose to keep the shell or not, as per your taste. Another bit, in the recipe, that you can adjust to your taste is the amount of heat you’d like in it. Since I like it quite hot, I have added fresh chilies as well as chili powder. Feel free to use either or none at all (to make it mild), as you wish.
The addition of the fresh, grated coconut not only lends a wonderful creamy taste and texture, but it also helps in taming the heat, too. The sweet taste of the fruit, offsets the heat from the chilis and/or the chili powder. Since, I love coconut in my curries, besides using it in the cooking process, I also reserve some to add towards the end. This reinforces it’s flavour and makes the curry even more yummy.
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If you love prawns and also a quick and easy recipe with it, then this is it. In fact, you can even make this for your weekday lunch/dinner and pair it up with parathas and a side of onion rings. I promise, one you make it, it’s going to become a regular in your list of side dishes. And like always, if you do give my recipe a try, I’d love to hear from you. You can share your food pictures with me over on Instagram and/or drop your feedback in the comment section below.
Eat hearty!
Spicy prawn masala with coconut
Equipment
- Shallow cooking pot
Ingredients
- 700 g king prawns
- 1 cup onion finely chopped
- 1 cup tomatoes finely chopped
- ¼ cup coconut grated
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 3-4 fresh chilies optional
- 3-4 tbsp coriander leaves
- 7-8 curry leaves
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp coriander powder finely chopped
- 2 tsp cumin seed powder
- 2 tbsp chilli powder or to taste
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2-3 tbsp oil
- salt to taste
Instructions
- To the washed and pat dried prawns, apply the turmeric powder, chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and lemon juice. Rub the spices well onto the prawns and set it aside, until needed
- Heat your cooking pot with the oil and throw in the curry leaves and the chopped onion. Stir and cook until the onions soften and then add in the ginger-garlic paste
- Fry and cook for couple minutes and then add in the tomatoes and chilis along with the salt. Mix well and cook until the tomatoes soften and then, over medium flame, add in the prawns
- Stir to mix well, cover and cook for 5-7 minutes. Uncover, add the grated coconut and the garam masala, mix in well, cook for 3-4 minutes more and then remove from flame
- Serve your lip smacking spicy prawn masala with coconut garnished with coriander leaves and the remaining grated coconut, just as is or with parathas. Enjoy!
Notes
- I have used shell on prawns since they add more flavour, however, you can also us the shelled ones
- Prawns cook easily and quickly. Do not cook them for longer otherwise they could become tough and chewy
- 1 cup = 250 millilitre
- tbsp - tablespoon
- tsp teaspoon
- g - gram
Liked the twist in the bong recipe and the look
Thank you so much maa. It was yummy
This spicy prawn masala recipe is really amazing. I started watering my mouth as soon as I saw the picture that you have shared in this post. My kids requested me to make prawns for them and I was searching for its method and came across your blog. Thank you for putting up this recipe I will try making this for my kids they will really like it I know.
I am so happy to hear that you’ve liked the recipe. I hope you make it soon and that you and your kids will enjoy relishing it too.