My version of Kerala style Sukha Prawns

All right, it’s been aeons that I have blogged. Life has been a complete roller coaster for the past many months now and though I have been cooking on and off, I have never had the temperament to update the recipe. Now that things are finally settling down and I have the time and energy to try out new things, take pictures and post recipes, I have a series of pending posts. This post is for a dear friend ‘S’, sitting in a distant land (we share pictures of stuff we prepare all the time), who saw the picture (thanks to Viber) of a certain Prawn preparation and asked for the recipe.

Prawns are an absolute favorite at my place. They are flavorful, delectable, takes little time to cook and everyone loves them. As I moved to Southern India a couple of months back, a desire for trying the ingredients and techniques used here has amplified in me. Hence I present to you my version of Kerala style Sukha Prawns.

Here is what you will need to make Sukha Prawns:

·        Prawns – cleaned and deveined – 250-300 gms (keeping the tales on or off is up to you)

·        Cooking Oil – 2-3 tbsps

·        Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

·        Onion – 1 large – chopped

·        Garlic – 4-5 cloves - minced

·        Green Chili – 2-3 – whole – slit

·        Lime juice – 1 tsp

·        Desiccated Coconut – 3 tbsps (or as per your taste)

·        Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp

·        Cumin Powder – 1 tsp

·        Red Chili Powder – 1tsp

·        Tamarind water – 4 tbsp

·        Salt to taste

·        Sugar to balance (you may or may not want to add this, the coconut is already sweet)

·        Pepper – freshly ground – as much as you can stand

·        Coriander leaves – a handful – chopped

Here is the method to make my version of Sukha Prawns:

·        Heat the Oil in a Pan

·        Add the Cumin seeds and let them splutter

·        Add the minced Garlic, slit Green Chilies and the Onion – sauté for a while and let the Onions get some color

·        Add the Prawns in and stir (Prawns take very less time to cook so be careful from here, over cooking will leave the Prawns chewy and rubbery – here on the dish should be done in approximately 6-7 mins)

·        Add Turmeric Powder, Cumin Powder, Red Chili Powder, Salt, Pepper and Sugar and stir for a minute

·        Add the desiccated Coconut and mix well (I used store bought desiccated Coconut – this takes lesser time to cook as it is already dry, freshly desiccated Coconut should be added once the Onions get some color, before adding the Prawns and cooked till about 50% of the moisture has dried up, then the Prawns should be added)

·        Add the Lime Juice and Tamarind water and crank the heat up to high so that the liquids evaporate fast, this is a dry preparation and is best served as a Starter. The Tamarind and the Lime juice will give this dish an overwhelming tangy touch

·        Add the chopped Coriander and mix well

·        Once the desired consistency is reached, check the seasoning and add Salt and Pepper if needed.

·        Serve hot, it is a great Starter and your guests will love it

I served this to my Brother and ‘A’ twice and they totally loved it. I could not get enough of the dry gravy of this dish; it is out of this world. Make this when you have guests, make it when you want to pamper yourself, make it anyway!