Kerala-style crispy prawns

These tender and flavourful prawns will win hearts.

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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Ingredients

• 16 green prawns, cleaned and peeled, tails left intact
• 60 ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil
• 2 white onions, finely sliced
• 1 stalk curry leaves, leaves picked
• 60 ml (¼ cup) coconut oil
• lime wedges, to serve

Marinade

• 2 tsp ginger paste
• 2 tsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• juice of ½ lime
• 1 tsp salt

Marinating time: 1 hour

Instructions

1. For the marinade, place all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine well. Add the prawns, toss to coat well, then cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over low-medium heat. Add the onion, stir to coat, then cover and cook for 15 minutes or until soft and caramelised. Remove the lid and cook for another 5 minutes or until the onions are a deep golden colour. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Reserve the oil in the pan.

3. Return the pan to medium heat. When the oil is hot, carefully add the curry leaves and cook for 30- 60 seconds or until golden and crisp but still vibrant green. Drain on paper towel and reserve the flavoured oil for another use if desired.

4. Heat the coconut oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the prawns in 2 batches for 2-3 minutes or until golden and crisp. Serve on a bed of fried onions, with the fried curry leaves scattered over the top and a lime wedge on the side.

Diana Chan and guests explore the flavours of Asia from her Melbourne home in the second series of Asia Unplated.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

This program is currently unavailable.

Explore over 15,000 hours of stories from around the globe with SBS On Demand.