Prawn Curry with Garcinia Cambogia

 "Ayala Porichathundu, Karimeen varuthathundu, Kudam puli ittu vecha nalla chemmen curry undu"....goes the popular song.  A woman plaintively calling out to her lover to come home for lunch as she has made deep fried mackerel, shallow fried pearl spot and prawn curry with garcinia cambogia..... if some one said this to me, I would be home in ten seconds flat - and he would be silly not to come home for this dish!

This prawn curry with garcinia cambogia refers to the third item in the song, a definite sea food lover's favourite and a signature Kerala dish.  Served with some white rice, this is literally finger licking good.

This dish took me 15 minutes to prepare because I got the shelled prawns - it is a great mid week dinner idea.

Ingredients:

500 gms prawns, shelled, deveined, butterflied and washed

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, powdered ( use less if you want it less spicy)

2 teaspoons chilli powder (use less if you want it less spicy or use Kashmiri chilli powder which has less heat)

1 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

1 inch sliced ginger

2-3 cloves garlic

2 green chillies

2 red onions, chopped

1 large ripe tomato, chopped

2 slices of garcinia cambogia - washed and soaked in hot water

a few curry leaves

2 tablespoons oil

salt to taste

a few coriander fronds for garnish

Method:

Wash prawns and set aside. 

Grind to a paste: a tablespoon of the chopped red onions, coconut, cumin seeds, green chillies, ginger and garlic and 2-3 tablespoons water.

In a saucepan, heat oil.  Add mustard seeds,  When the mustard seeds crackle, add the onions and fry till they start to get brown at the edges.  Now add the tomato and sauté for a few seconds.  Next add chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder.

Keep sautéing till the tomatoes go mushy. Next add the ground paste and continue to cook until the oil rises to the surface.  Add the garcinia cambogia slices and cook till it goes soft. Add salt and check.  Add the curry leaves too at this stage.

Lastly add the prawns and cook for about 6 to 7 minutes till they go firm and orange.

Garnish with a sprinkling of coriander fronds.

Serve hot with rice.