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You can't resist this Prawn Ghee Roast. It's spicy, it's juicy & absolutely irresistible! Cooked with my special homemade ghee roast masala paste this Mangalorean style Prawn ghee roast packs some serious flavors. Don't miss the amazing tips & the Video.
Recipe Video
Mangalorean Prawn Ghee Roast
Every time it breaks my heart whenever I've to share this Mangalorean Ghee Roast with Manojeet 😀
It's one of those recipes that makes me utterly selfish 😛
The extremely fragrant ghee roast masala paste, the juicy prawns coated with that masala, the kick from the chili peppers, everything in this recipe just reminds me about the best food under the sun.
This Prawn ghee roast is distinctive & it's one of those recipes that you will love to cook again & again.
Perhaps it's the play of that piquant ghee roast masala paste that looks fiery when it's roasted in the hot ghee & gives off the best fragrance that's undoubtedly gripping.
The extensive use of red dry chilies is what makes the homemade ghee roast masala paste red in color.
And that lip-smacking goodness comes from the use of lots of garlic & peppercorns.
Not to forget the fenugreek seeds, mustard, cumin, coriander that combine to give this recipe the significant depth of flavors.
Do you know the reason behind the subtle tang in this easy Prawn ghee roast recipe?
It's the tamarind pulp & the lemon juice.
The list of ingredients might seem a little too much at the beginning.
But, once you are done making the ghee roast masala paste it's a breeze to get the whole recipe rolling.
Roasting the masala in ghee & later roasting the prawns with the bhuna masala is all you need to do.
What is Prawn Ghee Roast?
Prawn ghee roast is a spicy Mangalorean style Prawn dish that's cooked with a special homemade ghee roast masala paste, jumbo juicy prawns and lots of ghee,
The specialty of an authentic Mangalorean style Prawn ghee roast is the masala paste. It's a lovely combo of whole spices that are dry roasted first & than ground to a paste with tamarind pulp & lots of garlic.
Recipe Ingredients
- Prawns: Nice & juicy jumbo or colossal prawns deshelled and deveined. I used frozen best quality prawns. You can also use fresh prawns as well. Fresh Prawns will definitely give the best flavor but frozen prawns are a good substitute that taste good as well.
- Yogurt: Used to flash marinate the prawns
- Dry spices: Turmeric powder & red chili powder. These are used to flash marinate the prawns.
- Lemon juice: Just for marinating the Prawns.
- For the Ghee Roast Masala Paste: whole coriander seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, black peppercorns, whole dry Kashmiri red chilies or Baideygi chilies, whole regular dry red chilies, garlic & tamarind pulp.
- Ghee: I always use my homemade ghee to cook any recipe. I will post the homemade ghee recipe soon.
- Curry Leaves.
Here's what you need to dry roast actually
You need to dry roast the below whole spices before making them into a paste along with the garlic pods & the tamarind pulp.
Dry roasting the spices brings out the essential oil & makes them more flavorful.
It also increases the shelf life of the masala and makes it easier to grind into a powder or paste.
Pro Tip: I have used way more spices to click the below picture. I have used them to cook ghee roast in two batches. It's advisable that you follow the actual measurements of the spices noted below on the RECIPE CARD.
4 Tips to make the Best Prawn Ghee Roast Mangalorean style
- Use BIG prawns: Not lobsters but big jumbo or colossal prawns taste the best. Do not use the smaller varieties. De-shell & de-vein the prawns . I personally do not prefer using the fresh prawn heads in this recipe but I do use fresh prawns with heads in this Prawn Malai Curry recipe.
- Do not skip making the Ghee Roast Masala Paste: The actual authentic taste of this Mangalorean style Prawn Ghee Roast lies in this homemade masala paste. It's spicy & lip-smacking good. Make it as suggested in todays recipe. Do not skip adding any ingredient.
- Cook the recipe in Ghee: For authentic flavors cook it in ghee. The name of the recipe itself says it all. It's a ghee roast meant to be cooked in ghee only. Substituting the ghee with any kind of oil will not give you the best flavors.
- Shallow fry the prawns first: This small step will boost the flavors and lock the juices in the prawns. If you add the raw prawns directly to the bhuna ghee roast masala paste than the prawns might release lots of water which in turn might change the flavor & the texture of the recipe.
How long can you store Prawn Ghee Roast in the fridge?
This recipe is spicy and rich. Hence, it lasts for a long time in the fridge.
You can store it for 12 days in the fridge in an air tight container.
Pro Tip: Sprinkle some water while reheating the Mangalorean style prawn ghee roast from the fridge. You may re-heat in the micro wave oven or on the stove top.
Can you freeze Mangalorean Prawn Ghee Roast?
Yes, you can freeze todays recipe for 1 month.
Store it in individual portion size freezer safe bags or containers.
This makes life so much easier.
It's definitely the best way to serve & reheat a portion size meal than to struggle getting the portion out from a huge blob of frozen food 😀
Pro Tip: The best way to re-heat a frozen prawn ghee roast is to defrost it in the fridge over night. Than reheat by sprinkling some water to add moisture & prevent the food from drying out.
Serving Ideas
It tastes best Neer Dosa.
We love it with Chapati too.
How to make Prawn Ghee Roast? Step by Step
Steps in words below picture
How to make Prawn Ghee Roast?
- Begin by making the special homemade ghee roast Masala Paste
Dry roast all the whole spices mentioned above in " Here's what you need to dry roast actually." Roast them over medium heat for just 2 mins stirring continuously. Allow them to cool down. Once, cold add them to a blender jar & blend them to a fine paste along with the garlic pods & tamarind pulp. Set aside.
- Flash marinate the Prawns
Add yogurt, lemon juice, turmeric & red chili powder and coat the prawns well. Set aside.
- Shallow fry the prawns
Add ghee in a skillet set over medium heat. Gently release the flash marinated prawns shaking off the excess marinade. Fry until lightly golden & pink. Set aside.
- Fry the homemade ghee roast masala paste
In the same oil add the homemade ghee roast masala paste and fry well until oil begins to leave the sides of the pan and the masala is well roasted.
- Add the shallow fried prawns to the Ghee roast Masala
Now, add the shallow fried prawns to the Bhuna ghee roast masala and mix well. Fry for sometime until oil begins to leave the sides of the skillet and the prawns are well coated and nicely roasted with the bhuna ghee roast masala. Add curry leaves while frying them. Serve hot, enjoy!
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Prawn Ghee Roast
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Ingredients
- 454 grams Colossal or Jumbo de shelled de veined prawns (1 pound)
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
- ½ tsp Red Chili Powder
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 2.5 tbsp Yogurt
- 15 fresh curry leaves (vailable in Indian grocery stores)
- 4 tbsp Ghee (**divided into equal parts.)
For the homemade Ghee Roast masala Paste
- 1 tbsp Coriander Seeds (dhaniya)
- ½ tsp Whole Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
- 1 tsp Black Peppercorns (kalimirch)
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds (rai or sarson)
- ½ tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
- 6 dry whole kashmiri red chillies (or Badeygi Chillies)
- 3 dry whole regular chillies
- 8 fresh garlic cloves
- 1.5 inch tamarind blob soaked in 3 tbsp warm water
Instructions
- Begin by flash marinating the wahed, deshelled & deveined prawns with yogurt, turmeric powder, red chili powder & lemon juice. Mix everything well and coat the prawns very well so that they are well coated with the marinade. Set them aside.
- Now, prepare the ghee roast masala paste.
- Take all the whole dry spices mentioned above " For the homemade ghee roast masala paste" section except the tamarind & the garlic pods in a skillet.
- Dry roast them for just 2 mins over medium flame stirring continously. Allow them to become cold.
- Next, add them to a blender jar along with the garlic pods & the tamarind pulp (squeeze the tamarind well in the soaked water to extract the pulp, discard the seeds) and blend to a smooth paste. Set aside.
- Set a skillet or kadai over medium heat. Pour 2 tbsp ghee, when the ghee becomes moderately hot gently add the flash-marinated prawns shaking off the excess marinade. Fry lightly until the prawns turn pink & change its color to light golden. Set them aside.
- In the same skillet add 2 tbsp ghee and when the ghee becomes hot add the homemade ghee roast masala paste. Stir briskly and fry until oil begins to leave the sides of the skillet. You will notice that the masala will change its color and become darker. Bhuna or roast the masala well over medium heat.
- Throw in the curry leaves and the shallow fried prawns. Give everything a very good mix. Bhuna the prawns very well until they are well coated with the bhuna masala and oil begins to ooze out. It should take you about 6-7 mins.
- Turn off the heat and serve hot. Enjoy!
Notes
- Measuring units used, 1 cup = 240 ml & 1 teaspoon = 5 ml.
- Prawns used: Frozen colossal, de shelled, de veined without the heads.
- Special Note: If you do not prefer it loaded with ghee roast masala paste. Keep aside the left over masala in air tight jar in the fridge. Keeps good for 15 days if you mix in 1-2 tsp oil. You can use it later.
- We love our prawns loaded with ghee roast masala paste so that they are thickly coated with the bhuna masala and that's how I made today's recipe. Feel free to increase or decrease the amount of ghee roast masala paste according to your preference.
- Cook the recipe over medium heat to get the best flavors.
- Do not over fry the ghee roast masala paste. The trick is too keep the heat to medium or medium low and stir it frequently.
- Do not skip cooking it in ghee if you are looking for authentic flavors.
- This recipe is spicy. You may reduce the quantity of dry red chilies. That might change the final color of the Prawn ghee roast.
Nutrition
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Dinaz says
You haven’t mentioned how much ghee needs to be used.
Foodies Terminal says
It's in the ingredients list. I updated the post. Thanks for your feedback, appreciate it. - Meghna.
Brenda says
Hi Meghna,
Can I use 6 regular dried chillies instead of kashmiri chilli as I do not have them? Also does that mean I need 9 regular chillies in total of 6 is just fine? Thanks!
Foodies Terminal says
Hey Brenda, yes you can use 6 regular dried red chilies but the finished dish will become very spicy. If you prefer spicy food it should be fine otherwise you may de-seed the red dry chilies first and than use them in the recipe, this will take off some of the heat from the chilies. I would recommend to use only 6. One more thing - as you will be missing the Kashmiri red chilies in the recipe, the color of the finished dish will get impacted and you won't get a vibrant fiery color. So, if you can, add a 2 teaspoons either paprika powder (not smoked paprika) or Deggi Mirch powder (if you have it handy of course) in order to fill in some of the color factor. Hope it helps 🙂 Any more questions feel free to reach out anytime 🙂 Thank you so much for stopping by Brenda and happy cooking 🙂 - Meghna.
Brenda says
Hi Meghna,
Thank you for the reply. Yes I will use only 6 red chillies then. Can I replace red chilli powder instead of paprika?