Prawn ghee roast

A Mangalorean dish, prawn ghee roast is built on a deeply aromatic masala made from whole spices. The prawns are lightly marinated with turmeric, lemon juice and salt, then tossed in a rich sauce elevated with ghee, tamarind paste and jaggery - creating a balance of heat, sweetness and tang. The best part? It only takes ten minutes to cook. This recipe comes from The Modern Desi, Bhavna Shivalkar.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Series. Cooking. Rated PG.

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The Cook Up with Adam Liaw

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Ingredients

• 6 tbsp ghee, divided
• 10-15 curry leaves
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• A pinch coriander powder

For the spice paste

• 10-12 dried red chillies (byadgi or kashmiri), cut with scissors, seeds removed
• 3-4 raw cashews
• 2 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp poppy seeds
• 1 tbsp jaggery
• 8 - 10 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp tamarind paste
• Salt

For the prawn marinade

• 400 g cleaned, deveined prawns
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Soaking time: 15 minutes.

Instructions

1. To make the spice paste, in a medium bowl soak the chillies and cashews in hot water for 15-20 minutes, to soften. Heat a large frying pan over high heat, then reduce to low, then add the whole spices for the paste. Dry roast gently until aromatic, then remove from the heat. Drain the chillies and nuts, then transfer to a blender with the roasted spices along with the jaggery, garlic cloves, tamarind paste and a generous pinch of salt. Add a little splash of water to help the ingredients blend, then grind to a smooth paste.
2. Combine the ingredients for the prawn marinade, including the prawns, in a medium bowl and mix well to combine. Refrigerate until needed.
3. Heat 3 tbsp ghee over medium heat in a large frying pan, then add the prepared spice paste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the spice paste darkens and turns slightly crumbly. Add a splash of hot water, then cook for a further minute. Remove from the heat.
4. In a second large, cleaned frying pan, melt the remaining 3 tbsp ghee over high heat. Once hot, add the prawns and cook, stirring until just cooked through – avoid overcooking! Transfer the cooked prawns to the pan with the cooked masala paste, return to the heat and toss lightly to combine. Add the curry leaves, lemon juice and a pinch of coriander powder. Cook on high heat for a further 2 minutes, season to taste with salt and lemon juice, then serve.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.