Kerala Prawn Curry
The coast of Kerala in a pot — whole prawns tumbled into a vivid, fiery coconut milk gravy built on mustard seeds, curry leaves, ginger, and chilli, cooked in under 15 minutes to keep the prawns tender and the coconut milk bright.
Ingredients
For 4 servings · tick what is ready
Use the scaled ingredient list. Steps and temperatures stay unchanged; use a larger pan or dish if needed. Seasonings to taste stay to taste.
How to make it
Heat the coconut oil in a wide, shallow pan over high heat until it shimmers and just begins to smoke. Add the mustard seeds — stand back, they will pop violently. When the popping slows (about 30 seconds), add the curry leaves — they will splutter dramatically. Fry for 10 seconds until the leaves turn dark green and crisp. This tempering creates the characteristic base of Kerala cuisine.
Add the shallots to the tempered oil and cook over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes until golden and softening. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the chilli powder and kukum puli. Stir for 1 minute until the oil takes on a vivid red colour from the chilli. The base should be thick and intensely fragrant.
Pour in the coconut milk and stir to combine with the curry base. Bring to a gentle simmer. Add the prawns and cook for exactly 3-4 minutes — no more. The moment all prawns have curled into a C-shape and turned uniformly pink, they are done. A prawn in a D-shape (fully curled) is overcooked. Taste for salt. Serve immediately over steamed rice.
About this recipe
By ForkRecipe Kitchen · Source: ForkRecipe / FoodML and contributors. Recipe content available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Serving count is an estimate; check quantities in the source recipe.