Prawn curry/Thoothukudi style prawn curry

Introduction:

Prawns cooked in coconut, tamarind based gravy with lady’s finger/okra. This is Thoothukudi/Tuticorin style traditional prawn curry. Everyone loves comfort food. And this prawn curry with piping hot steamed rice is my kind of comfort food. Thoothukudi/Tuticorin is a port city in Southern Tamil Nadu state, Southern India. This city is famous for fishing and ship building .It is the second largest port in Tamil Nadu. When anyone hears the name Thoothukudi/Tuticorin, the first thing that comes to mind is Tuticorin macrons. Apart from macrons and deep fried parottas, Tuticorin has its own remarkable cuisine. A cuisine that celebrates non-veg, especially sea food… Coconut is used as a base in most of the traditional recipes..I will post more Thoothukudi recipes soon...Enjoy cooking this prawn curry...

	Cuisine: South-Indian
	Recipe category: Curry,             Kulambu, Prawns,     Non veg, sea food
	Prep time: 20 min
	Cooking time: 20 min
	Serves: 5
Ingredients:
Prawn (medium)	20 cleaned and deveined
Ladys' finger/okra	6 to 7(cut into 1 inch pieces)
Small onions/shallots	3 chopped
Green chilly	1 slit
Tomato (small)	1 chopped
Garlic	6 cloves
Fenugreek seeds	1/2 tsp
Tamarind pulp	from lemon sized tamarind
Few curry leaves
Oil	2 tbsp
Salt	1 tsp
To grind:
Grated coconut	1/2 cup
Fish curry powder	4 tsp (heaped)*check notes
Turmeric powder	1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds	1 tsp
Water	1/4 cup
To temper:
Oil	1 and half tbsp
Mustard seeds	1/4 tsp
Split bengal gram	1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds	1/4 tsp
Small onions/shallots	3 sliced
Few curry leaves

Method:

1. Take grated coconut, fish curry powder, turmeric powder, cumin seeds and water in a blender jar and grind it to a smooth paste
2. Pour the ground paste and tamarind pulp into a bowl
3. To it add slit green chilly, chopped small onions, garlic, chopped tomato, fenugreek seeds and salt
4. Mix well. Take a clay pot or any pan, add oil
5. When hot add lady’s finger/okra, salt and fry on low flame (3 min)
6. Add prawns and fry until it turns pink (1 min)
7. Pour the coconut and tamarind mix and allow it to boil
8. When it starts boiling sprinkle water (1/4 cup)
9. And allow it to boil again. Give a quick mix
10. Check salt and sourness. If needed add more
11. Close the pot with a lid (leaving a small gap between the pot and the lid with the help of the ladle)
12. This prevents the curry from spilling, as it boils
13. Allow it to boil for 3 min on low flame
14. Meanwhile take a tempering pan and add oil
15. When hot add mustard seeds, split bengal gram, cumin seeds.
16. When it starts to crackle add sliced small onions and curry leaves
17. Fry until onions turn brown. Pour this immediately into the curry
18. Simmer the curry (2 min) on low flame
19. Turn off the stove
20. Prawn curry is ready to serve

Notes:

• *Substitution for fish curry powder ( chilly powder-2tsp+ coriander powder-4 tsp+ pepper corns-5)
• Adjust fish curry powder/chilly powder according to taste
• You can add fennel seeds instead of cumin seeds while grinding masala
• The curry looks a little thin but thickens on cooling in a clay pot