Prawns in Tangy Coconut Curry

My mother makes really tasty seafood curry. The recipes have been handed down from one generation to another without any consideration for exact proportions. Since I started blogging, I thought it would be a good idea to post some of these traditional recipes which are enjoyed by us and all our guests. I enthused her to keep a track of the proportions when she made this curry. It was an effort for her but she did manage to get the exact proportions. Here is a traditional prawns coconut curry from the West coast of India.

Ingredients
15-20 medium size shelled and deveined prawns,
1 medium size onion
2 tomatoes grated
1 1/2 tsp lemon
4-5 garlic
1" ginger
1 1/2 cup coconut juice
2-3 strands coriander leaves
1 tsp coriander powder
3/4 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 potatoes peeled and cut into 1" fingers
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp oil

Method
Grind 1/2 onion, garlic, ginger and 2/3 of the tomatoes. Slice remaining onions finely. Heat oil in a deep-bottomed vessel. Fry the potatoes in the hot oil till it turn slightly brown. Remove the potatoes from the oil and keep aside. Now add the onions to the hot oil and fry till translucent and soft. Add the prawns and them until they lose the pinkish color. Now add the ground paste, powdered spices. Fry them for 1-2 minutes and add water. Cover it leaving a small gap to allow scope for the steam to exit otherwise the curry boil over. Cook till the potatoes are almost done. Add the coconut juice. Add more coconut juice to make it less spicy. Simmer till it the mixture boils and the potatoes are done. Add the lemon juice and bring a boil. Remove from fire.



Garnish with coriander and serve with steamed rice.

Tip : You can add fried okra sliced from the middle and cut into two pieces when you simmer the curry. Okra in prawns curry taste really great.