Kadai Prawn Recipe

Preparation time: 15 min (+1 hr for marination) | Cook Time: 30 min | Serves: 4

Recipe Category: Side dish | Recipe Cuisine: North Indian

Prawns – 1/2 kg
Onion – 2 (chopped finely)
Tomato – 1 (chopped finely)
Tomato Puree – from 2 tomatos
Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
Capsicum/bell peppers – 1 cup
Oil – 3 tbsp
Sugar – 1/2 tbsp (Optional)
Lemon – 1/4 piece (or lemon juice – 1 tsp) (optional)

Ingredients II (For Marination)
Chilli Powder – 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder – 1/2 tsp
Corinader Powder – 1 /2 tsp
Turmeric – 1/5 tsp
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp

Ingredietns III (For Kadai Masala)
Dry Red Chilli – 5
Coriander seeds – 1/2 tbsp
Pepper corns – 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
Kasuri methi – 1/2 tsp (crushed)

1. Wash and devein the prawns. Keep the kadai masala ready.

2. Add the ingredients mentioned in Ingredietns II list and marianate the prawns for 45 to 1 hr. If keeping in freezer  20 to 30 min is enough.

3. Now dry fry the masala mentioned in ingredients III till nice aroma comes.( around 3 to 4 min). Then ground them to a coarse powder. Keep it aside. 

4. Wash and Cut the bell peppers into cubes. In a kadai, add a tsp of oil and when it is hot, add the bell peppers and a pinch a salt and start cooking. Care should be taken that it retains its crunchiness and don’t let it brown. 

5. In a wok or kadai, add oil and when hot add the cumin seeds. When it splutters, add the onion and when onions becomes soft, add the ginger. Saute them well.

6.  Now add the chopped tomato and cook until soft. Now add the tomato puree. Let them cook well of around 4 to 5 min.

7. Now add the prawns. The prawns start to leave out water. Add the ground kadai masala that time and allow them to cook.

8. When the gravy turns to thick as shown in the picture, squeeze quarter lemon. (This step is optional. I added for tangy taste). Keep the flame low.

9. Now add the cooked capsicum or bell peppers and give a stir. Let it cook in low flame for 5 minutes, so that bell peppers absorb the kadai masala. Do not cook for more, as the capsicum looses its crunchiness. Add kasuri methi along with bell peppers. Add the sugar now, mix it well. cook in low for 1 minute and switch off the stove.

10. Garnish with coriander leaves and ginger and Serve the Kadai Prawns with roti or naan or even with plain rice.

Tasty and yummy Kadai Prawns are ready to be served.

Notes:
1. You can always adjust the spice leaves according to your family taste buds. The above one is a medium spicy one. But still my little ones, complained it is bit spicy.
2. For a rich gravy, you can add 3 tbsp of heavy cream, while adding the capsicum.
3. Instead of ginger pieces, you can add ginger paste also. But cook, till the raw smell goes off.
4. Adding capsicum is optional, it gives really nice taste to the gravy.
5. Adding sugar is also optional, but I like to add it to North Indian dishes normally.
6. Adding lemon juice is also optional, but adding it, gives a nice tangy taste. If your tomatoes are tangy already, then you can skip adding lemon juice.