Preparation:
In a bowl, combine 10 fl oz water with the cayenne pepper, paprika, turmeric, garlic and ginger. Mix well. Grind the coriander seeds and cumin seeds in a clean coffee grinder and add to the mixture.
Put the spice mixture into a pan and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. The sauce should reduce and thicken. Add the coconut milk, salt, kokum or tamarind paste and bring to a simmer.
Add the prawns and simmer, stirring now and then, until they turn opaque and are just cooked through.
TIPS If you buy unpeeled headless prawns you will need 1 1/2 lb.
Kokum is the semi-dried sour skin of a fruit that grows along India's coast. Tamarind paste makes a good substitute.
Madhur Jaffrey's Flavors of India - Goa
When I arrive in Goa, the first dish I order is this simple prawn curry. It uses no oil, as nothing in it requires frying or sautéing. In many ways, it is the humblest of curries and may also be made with very cheap fish cut into chunks, fish steaks or fillet pieces. I like it made with juicy prawns, fresh from the sea. With a spicy red coconut sauce flowing over a bed of white pearly rice - what else can one want? I rarely order this dish in the hotel that I stay in. I find a small beach shack covered with palm thatching, generally owned by real fishermen, and order it there. All I need with it is a cold glass of bee |
