Imagine it’s Monday; the day went by in a blink, you are running late, and it is almost dinner time. Surprisingly, these slimy friends (prawns) would come to rescue you.
But don’t sell yourself short because you are about to cook something delicious and easy – prawn karahi is my bait.
It requires no marination and not much prep time. You would only need to dice, fry, and do some more chopping, and you will be serving dinner in no time.
The ingredients are mostly available in the pantry. They include some of the spices you use in the kitchen daily.
Here is what you need to keep on the counter so you can make the prawn karahi in less than thirty minutes.
Countdown to Thirty Minutes to Delicious Prawn Karahi
Ingredients:
- 2.5 lbs of clean shrimp
- ¼ cup oil
- 1 onion diced
- 4 tomatoes diced
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp Kashmiri lal mirch
- ½ tsp red chilli flakes
- 3 green chillies
- 1 tsp kasuri methi
- 1 lemon (juice)
- ¼ black pepper powder
- Chopped cilantro
For garnish
- 1 tbsp butter
- Sliced ginger
- Chopped cilantro
Cooking Prawn Karahi
- Sprinkle one teaspoon of salt on the prawns and let them sit while you dice ’n’ chop.
- I make prawn karahi in a wok. Add oil to the wok and fry onions.
- Add ginger garlic paste, green chillies, and tomatoes. Put the lid on and let the contents cook until the tomatoes soften.
- Now add spices: red chilli flakes, Kashmiri lal mirch, turmeric, salt, cumin powder, and some cilantro.
- Bhono-fy (meaning: stir a lot to combine) the masala until it starts looking like evenly done gravy.
- The classic sign of cooked masala is oil separating at the sides.
- In a separate pan, fry prawns. I do it in batches, giving each shrimp space to get that nice golden sear. Flip and fry. Shrimp takes less than a minute for each side. You would be cooking them in gravy too; 90% done is good.
- If I am cooking big qualities, I fry prawns in batches.
- Time to add fried prawns in the masala, sprinkle kasuri methi, black pepper powder, and lemon juice. Place the lid on the wok, and let them cook in the steam for a few minutes.
- A minute before you turn off the heat, add butter, chopped cilantro, and green chillies.
Stir and serve hot. I recommend making prawn karahi fresh, right before you eat. You can also refrigerate to enjoy the delectable food later.
Serve the shrimp karahi with naan, chapati or rice. They go well with everything.
Tips and Tricks
- I don’t add a lot of salt while cooking because I had prawns sitting in salt for a while.
- When running late, I cook gravy and fry prawns simultaneously to save time.
- To save time, you can also use tomato puree.
- I am very religious about using only fresh crushed black peppers. It elevates the taste to another level.
Parting Thoughts
I love the crispiness of shrimp, soft juicy tomatoes stuck on them, with the hint of lemon. I am mostly generous with black peppers, but then, everyone in my house is okay with the spice level – you do you.
It takes hardly thirty minutes and I have learned to prepare the elements together – gravy and frying shrimp. This saves a lot of time.