Kerala Thattukada Prawns

Name: Kerala thattukada prawns
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 12 medium-sized green prawns; Vegetable oil, for shallow-frying; 6 curry leaves; 1 lime cheek; Coriander & Mint Sauce, for serving; ¼ cup coconut cream; 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger; 1 tablespoon crushed garlic; 2 teaspoons garam masala; 2 teaspoons ground coriander; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder; 1 teaspoon salt flakes, crushed; ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In Kerala, on India’s south west coast, street carts called thattukada sell deep-fried chicken coated in a spicy marinade. At Nilgiri’s Indian Restaurant in Sydney, Ajoy Joshi bakes his ‘street cart chicken’ rather than frying it and serves it with a green sauce that’s one of the tastiest things I’ve ever had – this is the inspiration for my Kerala thattukada prawns. Ajoy insists that prawns are best cooked in their shells so each diner can decide whether to peel them or eat them head and all (like he does)! Either way, it’s a good idea to serve these street cart prawns with finger bowls and plenty of large napkins. Serve some Kerala parotta alongside for mopping up all that delicious sauce if you like (see video below).

Serves 2

Ingredients

12 medium-sized green prawns
Vegetable oil, for shallow-frying
6 curry leaves
1 lime cheek
Coriander & Mint Sauce, for serving

Thattukada Marinade

¼ cup coconut cream
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
1 teaspoon salt flakes, crushed
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method

Make Thattukada Marinade: combine all ingredients.
Pat prawns dry. Bend where the head joins the body and use a toothpick to hook the digestive tract. Straighten the body, hold the end of the tract with your fingers and gently pull it out (if this fails, split the back open a little to locate the tract and pull it out).
Place prawns on a plate, cover with Thattukada Marinade and roll to coat well.
Cover and set aside for at least an hour, ideally refrigerate overnight then remove from fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
Preheat oven to 190°C.
Transfer prawns and marinade to a baking dish and place in oven.
Reduce temperature to 160°C and cook for 15 minutes or so, until prawns are just cooked through.
Meanwhile, heat a little vegetable oil in a small saucepan, add curry leaves and cook for a few seconds until they stop sputtering.
Pour curry leaves over prawns and serve with lime cheek and Coriander & Mint Sauce on the side.