Books by Richard Sayce
Prawn Puri Recipe:
Prawn puri is a classic starter dish served in Indian restaurants throughout the UK. (‘Puri’ is sometimes misspelt as ‘puree’.) Essentially, it’s a thick bhuna curry served on or in a deep-fried chapati. There’s something about the combination of sweet prawns, condensed tasty sauce, soft chewy bread and a squeeze of lemon or lime that make it an absolute pleasure to consume.
This recipe will produce one very generous starter-sized portion, but is enough to happily whet the appetites of two people. Scroll down for the video.
You can also find this prawn puri recipe recipe in my books CURRY COMPENDIUM and INDIAN RESTAURANT CURRY AT HOME VOLUME 2. All my books are available in both physical and kindle formats.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 TBSP (45ml) Oil
- 5cm Cassia Bark
- 60g Onion, very finely chopped
- 1-1½ tsp Ginger/Garlic Paste
- ½-1 tsp Kasuri Methi
- ¾-1 tsp Mix Powder
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Chilli Powder (optional)
- 200ml+ Base Gravy
- 2 TBSP Tomato Paste
- 120-150g Prawns (defrosted, pre-cooked or raw)
- 1 tsp of Lemon or Lime Juice (optional)
- 1-2 fresh Tomato Segments
- 1 TBSP of fresh Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
- 1 Puri (fried Chapati)
SPACEHOLDER
- A Wedge of Lemon or Lime
- Fresh Coriander for garnishing
METHOD
- Add the oil to a frying pan on medium high heat.
- When hot, add the cassia bark and fry for 30–45 seconds to infuse the oil, stirring occasionally.
- Add the chopped onion. Fry for 1-1½ minutes until soft, stirring often.
- Then add the ginger/garlic paste and fry for a further 20-30 seconds whilst continuing to stir frequently.
- Next throw in the kasuri methi, mix powder, salt and the optional chilli powder. Be careful with the salt – the prawns will be salty already.
- Fry for 20-30 seconds, adding a little base gravy (e.g. 30ml) if and when the spices start to stick to the pan. Stir diligently.
- Turn up the heat to high and pour in the tomato paste. Stir together and let fry for 20-30 seconds or until the oil separates and small craters appear around the edges of the frying pan.
- Next add 75ml of base gravy. Stir the sauce and leave on high heat until the sauce has reduced a little, the oil has separated, and small craters form around the edges again.
SPACEHOLDER
- Then add about 100ml of base gravy. Stir and scrape the pan once then leave it to cook on high heat for 2–2½ minutes. Avoid stirring unless the curry is about to burn – let the sauce stick to the bottom and sides of the pan to caramelise and thicken. Add extra base gravy if desired, but make sure to reduce it down so the end result is very thick.
- Add the prawns and the tomato segments. Stir together and let cook for an additional 2 minutes or until the prawns have cooked through. Larger prawns will take a minute or so longer.
- Remove the cassia bark and stir in the fresh coriander.
- Serve on top of a warm puri (see below), and garnish with a sprinkling of fresh coriander and a wedge of lemon or lime.
NOTES
- All spoon measurements are level (1 tsp = 5ml, 1 TBSP = 15ml).
- Larger sized prawns may be substituted for the usual small variety but do ensure they are thoroughly cooked before eating with no translucency in the middle.
- You can use ordinary tortilla wraps instead of chapatis to make the puri.
- Make sure to scrape out all the residue from the bottom and sides of the pan when you are serving. There’s a lot of fantastic flavour in the thick crusty bits.
- Overindulging in this compelling prawn puri can spoil your appetite for the main course. Eat wisely!
- Enjoy this prawn puri recipe, and please visit the Misty Ricardo’s Curry Kitchen YouTube Channel for lots of Indian recipes.
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