Prawn curry with spicy coconut gravy Nadiya rasa chingudi tarkari

12-15 large prawns shelled and deveined with the tails left on

½ tsp turmeric powder                 

Pinch of salt

4 tbsp mustard oil or vegetable oil

4 green cardamom pods

3 cloves

2 bay leaves

1 small onion roughly chopped

1” piece of ginger roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic roughly chopped

2 green chillies

50gms freshly grated coconut

¼ tsp kashmiri chilli powder

100mls coconut milk

100mls water

½ tsp sugar

Salt to taste

Coraiander roughly chopped for garnish


Add the prawns to a bowl and mix in the turmeric and salt well. Set aside while you get the curry ready. In a blender add the onion, ginger, garlic, green chillies and grated coconut. Add a splash of water and blend to a smooth thick paste. Set the paste aside

1. In a frying pan add 2 tbsp of the oil and fry the prawns for a minute on each side. They will start to colour but don’t cook them all the way through. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside.
2. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan heat the remaining oil add the green cardamom, cloves and bay leaves; fry for 30 seconds. Now tip in the onion paste and fry on a medium heat for 5-7 mins stirring frequently making sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Add the chilli powder, sugar and salt. Stir for a further minute; add the coconut milk and water. Bring to a boil and simmer on a low heat. Add the prawns, simmer for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh coriander