Spicy Prawn/Shrimp Curry

               I am a great fan of prawns. I do find peeling and deveining prawns a bit difficult. But once it's done, making a curry is very easy. It gets ready in no time.
              This spicy prawn curry is my family's favorite. It goes really well with some rice and dal or fish curry. I got this recipe from my cousin Sangeeta Shenoy who is an amazing cook.

 

 

Ingredients:

500 grams prawns
2 tbsp oil
2 medium sized onions, chopped
4 large cloves of garlic
1" piece ginger
1 spring curry leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp red chilli powder
2-3 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
Salt to taste
3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Directions:

Peel, devein and wash prawns and keep it aside.
Grind ginger and garlic to a smooth paste by adding some water. Keep it aside.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till golden brown.
Add ginger garlic paste and saute for few seconds until the raw smell is lost.
Add the curry leaves, turmeric powder and chilli powder. Saute for some more time.
Add chopped tomatoes and salt and cook till mushy and oil leaves the sides of the pan.
Add prawns and mix well. The prawn will release its own moisture, so there is no need to add any water. Once the sauce comes to a boil, simmer and cover for about 10 minutes or until the prawns are cooked.
Add garam masala powder and half of the chopped coriander and mix well. Cook for 2 more minutes.
Serve hot garnished with remaining coriander leaves.





Gobi Manchurian

Gobi Manchurian is one of my favorite Indo-Chinese dishes. You can serve it with any kind of fried rice or noodles. I served it with paneer fried rice.

Ingredients:

1 medium sized cauliflower, cut into florets
4 tbsp all purpose flour/maida
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp rice flour
1/2 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste

For the sauce:

1/2 green bell pepper/capsicum, finely sliced
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
2 green chillies, finely chopped
4-5 spring onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp soy sauce
2-3 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp green chilli sauce
1 tsp corn starch
5 tbsp water
1 tsp malt vinegar
Salt to taste
Oil for frying and deep frying

Directions:

Take all purpose flour, corn starch, rice flour, red chilli powder, salt and pepper in a bowl. Gradually add water and make a thick paste.
Add cauliflower florets and mix well. Keep it aside for 10 minutes.
In a separate bowl, put soy sauce, tomato ketchup, green chilli sauce, cornstarch, water, vinegar and salt and mix well without any lumps. Keep it aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Place each floret that is well coated with the batter into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Reduce flame to medium and deep fry until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the pan and place on an absorbant paper and keep aside.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok. Add spring onion whites and sauté for 2 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, green chillies, green bell pepper and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. The bell peppers should retain their crunch.
Add the sauce mixture and mix well. Once it comes to a boil and the sauce thickens, add fried cauliflower florets and mix well until the florets are coated well with the sauce. Garnish with spring onion greens.
Serve hot.

Paneer Fried Rice

               I tasted paneer fried rice for the first time at a restaurant in Bangalore. My family loves it and I have prepared it many times since then.
               For this recipe, I have used store bought paneer. You can also use fresh home made paneer for making this fried rice. You can use either sona masoori or basmati rice. Refrigerating the cooked rice will prevent it from getting mushy.
I served it with Gobi Manchurian.

Ingredients:

200 grams paneer, grated
1 cup rice
1 Green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 Carrot, finely chopped
1 Onion, sliced
2 Spring onions, chopped
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp malt vinegar
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

Cook rice by adding enough salt and 1 tsp of oil in plenty of water until soft but not mushy. Once cooked, drain the excess water. Once it comes to room temperature, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a wok, add sliced onions and chopped spring onion whites. Fry until translucent.
Add carrots and bell pepper and fry until tender. Add soy sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Add grated paneer and mix.
Add rice and toss it well. Cook until the rice is heated through and everything comes together.
Garnish it with spring onion greens and freshly ground pepper.
Serve.