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Home ยป Recipes

Published: Nov 6, 2020. Post Updated: Apr 16, 2024

Home ยป Recipes

Prawn Ghee Roast

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Prawn Ghee Roast is a popular recipe that comes from Mangalore. Made by toasting and grinding whole spices and combining with Tamarind and quick Marinaded Prawns. This is the perfect dish  for the colder weather and is a very quick recipe to make.

Prawn ghee Roast in black bowl with chopped coriander

Prawn Ghee Roast 

An aromatic, spicy dry curry made with curry leaves, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chillies, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, black peppercorns, tamarind and more. This is a very quick recipe and is ideal for busy days/lives.

How to make Prawn Ghee Roast 

Marinate the prawns with the vinegar/lime juice, yoghurt, red chilli powder, turmeric and a pinch of salt.

Prawns being marinaded in a bowl with yoghurt and spices

Heat a pan over medium high and dry roast the coriander seeds, pepper corns, fenugreek, mustard, fennel and cumin. Grind to a powder.

Whole spices in a dry pan

Heat ghee in the same pan or a wok if you have one. 

Ghee melting in pan

Add curry leaves. 

Curry leaves added to pan

Add crushed garlic and chillies.

Garlic and chillies added to pan

Add spice powder (my blender isn't working well, hence the coarse texture) and turn the heat down. Saute for 10 minutes. 

Spice powder added to pan

Add Prawns and cook for 5 minutes before adding Tamarind.

Prawns added to pan

Tamarind being added to pan

Add water if needed. Taste and add a pinch of sugar if you like.

Pour over remaining ghee.

Prawn ghee Roast in black bowl with chopped coriander

How to serve

This make a really good starter but is also lovely served as a main or side with Biryani, Rice, Roti or Paratha.

For sides:

Kachumber Salad

Onion Raita

Storage

Prawn recipes are usually best eaten fresh. At a push, they can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for a day or two.

As Prawns require very little cooking, reheating them usually makes them a little tougher. You can add a splash of water to a pan and reheat them slowly until warmed through. I would not recommend freezing or microwaving cooked prawns. 

Variations

  • You can flash fry the prawns in ghee beforehand and then add them into the pan at the end for a couple of minutes.
  • You can use vinegar or lime interchangeably in this recipe.
  • I couldn't get hold of the traditionally used Byadagi Chilli, so used extra dry red chillies but you can use it if you find it. Just use ยฝ of each type of chilli.

More Recipes you may like:

Chicken Sukka

South Indian Style Egg Curry

** if you make this recipe, please comment/tag us. thankyou. 

Prawn ghee Roast in black bowl with chopped coriander

Prawn Ghee Roast

Safira
Prawn Ghee Roast is a popular recipe that comes from Mangalore. Made by toasting and grinding whole spices and combining with Tamarind andย quickย Marinaded Prawns. This is the perfect dish ย for the colder weather and is a very quick recipe to make.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Marinading 20 minutes mins
Total Time 20 minutes mins
Course Appetizer, Dinner, Sides, Starters
Cuisine Indian, Mangalore, South Indian
Servings 4
Calories 205 kcal

Ingredients
  

Prawn Marinade

  • 250 g King Prawns Deveined, Without Shell
  • 3 tablespoon Plain Yoghurt
  • 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
  • ยฝ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
  • 1 tablespoon Lime Juice
  • Pinch Salt

Whole Spice Powder

  • 1 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
  • 8 Dry Red Chillies
  • 1 teaspoon Black Peppercorns
  • ยฝ teaspoon Black Mustard Seeds
  • 1 teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds
  • ยผ teaspoon Fennel Seeds

Remaining Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoon Ghee
  • 15 Curry Leaves Fresh
  • 8 cloves Garlic Crushed
  • 1 teaspoon Green Chilli Paste or 1 Green Chilli finely sliced
  • 1 tablespoon Tamarind Paste
  • Pinch of Sugar Optional
  • Lime Juice

Instructions
 

  • Marinate the prawns with the ingredients listed underneath that heading above.
  • Heat a pan over medium high and dry roast the ingredients listed under 'whole spice powder' until aromatic and the mustard seeds begin to crackle. Place in a bowl to cool slightly then grind to a powder using a spice grinder.
  • Heat 2 tablespoon ghee in the same pan or a wok if you have one.ย 
  • Add curry leaves.ย Stir for a minute.
  • Add crushed garlic and chillies. Saute for 1 minute.
  • Add spice powder (my blender isn't working well, hence the coarse texture) and turn the heat down. Saute for 10 minutes.ย 
  • Add Prawns and cook for 5 minutes before adding Tamarind and cooking for a further minute or two.
  • Add water if needed. Taste and add a pinch of sugar if you like.
  • Pour over remaining ghee and add a squeeze of lime juice.

Notes

Storage

Prawn recipes are usually best eaten fresh. At a push, they can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for a day or two.
As Prawns require very little cooking, reheating them usually makes them a little tougher. You can add a splash of water to a pan and reheat them slowly until warmed through. I would not recommend freezing or microwaving cooked prawns. 

Variations

  • You can flash fry the prawns in ghee beforehand and then add them into the pan at the end for a couple of minutes. 
  • Prawns need very little time to cook so try to keep to the timing given above to avoid tough prawns. Smaller prawns will require less time. 
  • You can use vinegar or lime interchangeably in this recipe.
  • I couldn't get hold of the traditionally used Byadagi Chilli, so used extra dry red chillies but you can use it if you find it. Just use ยฝ of each type of chilli. Adjust quantities as per your preference.
  • Getting the balance right is important in this recipe, so taste and adjust tartness/sourness/sweetness.

Nutrition

Calories: 205kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 15gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 188mgSodium: 497mgPotassium: 153mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 157IUVitamin C: 81mgCalcium: 152mgIron: 2mg
Keyword Mangalore Prawn Curry, Prawn Ghee Roast
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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hey...Iโ€™m safira! I share accessible Global Recipes as well as Baking recipes for home cooks. One of my passions is to teach home cooks to become more confident in the kitchen and this comes with time and experience.

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