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Showing posts with label prawn preparation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prawn preparation. Show all posts

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Golden Fried Prawns

Among all the prawn dishes served at restaurants, the Golden fried prawns always deserves a special mention. However they vary so much in appearance, anything in the spectrum of a pale yellow ( beaten egg yolk shade ) to a robust orange red, that one could actually find fifty shades of golden fried prawns if one makes an earnest effort. Therefore one may actually be forgiven for thinking that the name is a misnomer.

Another interesting feature is the taste of the dish. The ones served at some Chinese eteries may seem like all crust and the inside flesh is just cooked but still very light pink and also a little on the bland side. However, try ordering some at a South Indian joint and you will be in for a surprise. The crust is minimal and the prawns are fried to right extent which turns them into that gorgeous orange shade without losing their juiciness. And most of it is served spicy just like the majority of Indians prefer it.

I usually take the middle path when it comes to this dish. A decent crust that has a good amount of crunch and a well seasoned flesh is what I prefer. So, try out my version and you won't regret it for sure -




















Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

FOr the marination -


  • 7 nos Tiger prawns/Pink prawns
  • a pinch of ground pepper 
  • a few drops of soy sauce
  • a few drops of vinegar
  • a pinch of salt


For the crust -


  • 1 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp corn flour
  • 1 tbsp egg white
  • 1 tsp oil
  • 1/2 tsp water
  • 1 garlic flake (grated)
  • 1 green chili (grated)
  • a pinch of baking powder
  • a pinch of salt



Preparation - Wash the prawns. Remove the head and the shell while keeping the tail intact. Remove the black vein which runs along the outer side of the body. Make a light incision along the length and flatten out the flesh.

Add all the other ingredients mentioned under the marination process to the dressed prawns. Mix gently and keep aside for 15 mins.

Take all the ingredients mentioned for the crust into a mixing bowl. Whisk everything together to get a thick batter.

Cooking - Heat sufficient oil for deep frying in a wok.

Take each prawn. Dip it in the batter making sure to get an even coating. Place it the hot oil and cook for 2-3 mins on each side or till it is uniformly golden in color.

Remove from the wok and place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup or even a mint chutney.



Friday, July 18, 2014

Chingudi Jholo (Odia Prawn Curry)

The staple Chingudi (prawn) recipe from Odisha had been missing from my blog for so long. This I realized with a shock (or was it more of a disappointment ?) when I was trying to do some minor changes on my posts. This version is more popular than the 'Chingudi Besara' that is prevalent only in the western regions of the state. While the masala used is the staple 'onion-garlic-ginger-green cardamom-cinnamon' combo, one must take care to get the right texture. Too fine a paste makes it a thick gravy while over-frying the masala tends to caramelize it and changes the flavour (kind of intensifies it)of the curry. My family prefers this curry to be mellow and kind of watery ('pania jholo' as we say in Odia) but then different folks have different preferences.

Read on for the recipe -



















Preparation Time - 30 mins
Ingredients -

  • 500 gms prawns (I have used small ones)
  • 1 large potato 
  • 1 large onion + 1 small one
  • 12-13 garlic flakes
  • 1 1/2 inch ginger
  • 3-4 green cardamom
  • 2 inch long cinnamon
  • 2 dry red chilis
  • 2 large tomatoes
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder, 
  • 1/3 tsp red chili powder ( I have used less as the whole chilis were very spicy, adjust as per taste )
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • salt to taste
  • 3-4 tbs oil


Preparation - Clean prawn and add salt and turmeric. Allow to marinate for 15 mins.

Grind the cumin seeds, 2 cardamom, 1 inch cinnamon and red chillis into a powder. Add  the small onion, half of the garlic flakes and 1 inch ginger to the same grinder jar. Grind till the paste is smooth.Keep aside.

Finely chop the tomatoes and keep aside.

Coarsely grind the remaining onion and keep aside. Crush together the remaining garlic pod and ginger using a mortar and pestle. Take care not to make a very fine paste.

Cut the potato into cubes.

Cooking- Heat 1 tbs oil in a pan. Add the marinated prawns and fry till golden. Remove and keep aside.

Add another tbs of oil into the wok. Add the potato pieces. Fry for 2-3 minutes. Remove and keep aside.

Heat the remaining oil in a wok. Add coarse onion paste and fry for 1 minute. Add the sugar and allow it to turn brown. Add the crushed garlic-ginger and fry for 2 minutes.

Add the ground masala along with turmeric and chilli powder. Fry for 4-5 minutes till the raw smell goes off.

Add tomato and fry for another 3-4 minutes or till it turns mushy.

Add 3 cups of boiling water to the wok. Bring to a boil on high flame.

Add fried potatoes and prawns to the wok. Cover with a lid and allow to boil for 7-8 minutes or till potatoes are cooked.

Powder the remaining cinnamon and cardamom and add to the curry. After 1-2 minutes, switch off the flame.

Serve hot with white rice.




Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Chinguri Chura

'Chuna Chinguri' or the tiny prawns are very difficult to come by in Banglore. So when I found a fresh lot at my nearest Bengali Fish stall, I was delighted. These tiny prawns are sweeter than the big ones and can be fried to a very crisp texture. Also, I find it easy to clean the lot. One just needs to pinch off the heads and wash them in lots of fresh water to remove the sands.

This is a very delicious 'Chinguri Chura' I made with them. Read on for the recipe:


















Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients - 250-300 gm tiny prawns, 1/4 tsp turmeric, salt to taste, 1 medium sized onion, 3-4 green chillis, 4-5 garlic flakes (peeled), 2 tbs chopped coriander leaves, 3-4 tsp oil.

Preparation - Take the cleaned prawns in a mixing bowl. Add salt and turmeric, mix well and keep aside for 5 minutes.

Chop the onion into small pieces.

Cooking- Heat a non-stick frying pan. Add the oil.

Add the marinated prawns (do not any any of the liquid that oozed out during marination). Fry for 6-8 minutes till crisp. Remove from flame and allow to cool down.

Transfer the fried prawns into a grinder jar. Add onions, broken green chilli, coriander leaves and garlic flakes. Buzz for a few seconds till they turn into a coarse powder. (Do not worry if you have a few prawns still intact.)

Serve with white rice and dal (or even better eat it with Dahi Pakhala).


Sunday, June 24, 2012

Chinguri Checcha ( Mashed Prawns )





Cost of Preparation: 80-90 Rupees


Cooking Time Required: 10-15 mins



Ingredients: Prawns ( 250 gms ), Garlic pods (7-8 nos ), onion ( 1 no., small ), green chilli ( 1 no ), mustard oil ( 1 tsp ), turmeric ( 1/5 tsp), salt to taste, oil for cooking.


Preparation: Wash and clean the prawns. Do not remove the shell. Add salt and turmeric and mix well.


Cooking: Heat a pan. Add 2-3 tsp oil.

Add the prawns and fry them on medium flame for 5-6 mins.

Allow to cool down a bit and remove the shells.

Transfer to a grinder jar along with the onion pieces, garlic pods, green chilli and a pinch of salt. Grind into a coarse paste. Add the mustard oil to this paste and mix well.

Serve along with white rice.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Chinguri Sukhua Tarkari ( Dried Shrimp Curry )


















Cooking Time Required: 15-20 mins
Cost of preparation: 25-30 Rupees

Ingredients: Chingudi sukhua/dried shrimps ( one can use any other fish as well, 100-150 gm ), potato ( 1 large ), onion ( 1 large ), green chillis ( 2-3 nos )besara ( mustard-garlic paste , 1-2 tsp ), pancha-phutana ( 1/3 tsp ), salt, turmeric, mustard oil .

Preparation: Wash and drain the sukhua.

Cut the onions into thin strips. The potato should be diced into small cubes.

Cooking: Heat 1 tsp of oil in a wok. Add the washed sukhua and stir fry for 4-5 mins. Do not fry it till crispy.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the green chilli and pancha-phutana.

Once the seeds start crackling, add the onions. Fry the onions till they turn translucent.

Add the potatoes and fry for 4-5 mins.

Add the sukhua, besara and turmeric along with 1 cup water. Cook for 7-8 mins till the potato is well cooked and most of the water disappears. Add the salt and cook for another minute ot two.

Serve with rice and yellow dal/ pakhala bhata.


Note: While preparing any sukhua/dried fish/shrimp one needs to be careful with the salt. Most of the sukhua/dried fish is steeped in salt. One should add the salt towards the end to avoid making the curry very salty.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Chinguri Sukhua Chura



















Cooking Time Required: 10-15 mins

Ingredients -


  • 2 cups dried shrimp (chingudi sukhua)
  • 3 dry red chillis
  • 7 garlic flakes
  • 2 green chillis
  • 1 tsp mustard oil
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 tsp chopped cilantro
  • Salt to taste


Preparation: Wash and drain the prawns . Crush the garlic flakes .

Cut the onions and green chillis into small pieces.

Cooking: Heat 1 tsp of oil in a wok. Break the red chillis into 2-3 nos and add to the wok along with the crushed garlic flakes.

Fry till the prawns become crispy .


















Remove from the wok and crush the prawns with a rolling pin. Add the onions and green chillis. Sprinkle a few drops of mustard oil and salt. Mix well .

Serve with pakhala/ rice and dal .


















Note: One can also make this preparation with fresh small prawns.
Crush in a grinder for 5-6 secs instead of using a rolling pin.


Shrimp

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