PRAWN CURRY

 PRAWN CURRY

My husband and I love shrimps, or prawns as they are commonly called in India. They are called Jhinga  in Hindi, Sigadi in Kannada, and Sungat in my mother tongue, Konkani. 

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for some dishes made with prawns such as:-

• Goan Prawn Curry
• Sungta Humman
• Prawn Masala

Besides being so yummy - prawns are rich in Omega 3 Fatty Acids and have an abundance of proteins. So, I make some prawn dish from time to time.

I have adapted this from Prawn Curry from Indian Healthy Recipes.

In making this dish I have used Large Sized Freshwater Prawns, cleaned and deveined, from Licious. 

I find the quality to be excellent and the fact you get it delivered home makes it a sensible and easy solution to buying prawns. 

We enjoyed this dish immensely- served as an accompaniment for hot rotis. I hope you will like this too!  

Ingredients:-

• Large sized Prawns, 18-20 
• Cumin Seeds, 1/4 tsp
• Green Chilli, slit, 1
• Curry Leaves, 1 sprig
• Garlic Clove, large sized, 1
• Coriander Leaves, 2 tbsp - for garnish
• Tamarind, a pellet sized piece

For the Masala:

• Onion, medium sized, 1 
• Ginger Garlic Paste, 1 tsp
• Tomato, large-sized, 1 
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1/4 cup
• Turmeric Powder, 1/8 tsp
• Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder, 1 tsp
• Coriander Powder, 1 tsp
• Garam Masala, 1/2  tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 1 tbsp ( for roasting ingredients for grinding) + 1 and 1/2 tbsp 

Method:- 

Wash the cleaned and deveined prawns thoroughly. Keep aside

Chop the tomato and onion

Chop the garlic clove 

Slit the green chilli

Finely chop the coriander leaves

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a thick-bottomed kadhai, when it gets heated add the chopped onion and saute till they become translucent

Add the ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes

Next add the chopped tomatoes, a little salt, and turmeric powder. Mix well and cook on medium heat till the tomatoes become soft and mushy

To this add the garam masala powder, coriander powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder and fresh coconut gratings

Saute on medium heat for 3-4 minutes taking care to see the spices don't get burnt

Transfer to a plate and let this cool completely

Once it is cooled, transfer to a mixer jar, aadd the piece of tamarind and 3/4 cup of water  

Grind to a smooth paste and keep aside

Heat 1 to 1 and 1/2 tbsp of oil in the same kadhai and on medium heat add the cumin seeds

When they sizzle, add the slit green chilli, and chopped garlic

Saute till the garlic gets roasted then add the curry leaves and saute for a few seconds

Add the freshly prepared ground paste and mix well

Add water to get a curry like consistency

Check for salt and add if required 

Bring this to a boil and cook till the curry thickens

Now lower the heat and add the prawns one by one

Let it cook on medium  heat till the prawns tails form a C shape which indicates the  prawns are fully cooked. Please remember prawns get cooked very fast- approximately 3-4 minutes

Switch off the gas and garnish the Prawn Curry with finely chopped coriander leaves

Transfer to a serving bowl

Serve hot with jeera rice/fried rice or rotis

"SIGHTS & BITES" CIRCLE ISLAND TOUR OF OAHU, HAWAII

 "SIGHTS & BITES" CIRCLE ISLAND TOUR OF OAHU, HAWAII

During our recent vacation in Hawaii, one of the experiences we most enjoyed was the "Sights & Bites" Circle Island tour of Oahu Island. The tour was conducted by Aloha Hawaii Tours and lasted from about 7 a.m. to about 4.00 p.m. Fortunately for us, that day happened to be bright and sunny and we could take in the wonderful scenes that Oahu, Hawaii has to offer. 

As the tour name suggests,  this tour was designed to expose us to some interesting sights and eats of Hawaii. There were about 20 of us in the coach that day. The first stop was the Amaelia Earhart/Diamond Head Lookout, which was very scenic and beautiful. It is named after the famous aviator Amaelia Earhart who was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932. She flew solo from Oahu to Oakland in mainland America fin 1934 and is supposed to have flown over the Diamond Head crater so this lookout is named after her. 

If that was the first of the sights, the first of the bites was the delicious Poi Glazed Donuts from the famous Kamehameha Bakery  In her blog post, Herb & Lace, Cindy gives us more details of the poi glazed donut! I must say they were really delicious. We had never seen such purple colored donuts before.

We then visited the Halona "Blowhole" Lookout and the Nuuaana Pali Lookout- both provided breath taking views, the memories of which we shall cherish for long!

At the Tropical Farms of Hawaii, we tasted different varieties of Macadamia Nuts. We came to know that originally Macadamia nuts came into Hawaii from Australia. We loved the Onion and Garlic variant of the Macadamia Nuts, something we had never tasted before.

Lunch had been pre-arranged for us at Fumi's Hahuku Shrimp Truck. We had sent in our orders in the morning itself and they were all ready for us when we reached there. The Spicy Garlic Shrimp we had chosen was truly lip-smacking. This was served with sticky rice and a side of corn and pineapple. 

 After lunch we had some fresh fruits at the Hahuku Fruit Stand. 

Our next stop after seeing a few more sights was the old town of Haleiwa where we halted to sample the world famous Matsumoto Shave Ice which I have already written about.

The tour ended with a visit to the famous Dole Pineapple Plantation at Wahiawa which started in 1950 and has been opened to the public since 1989. There are so many varieties of pineapples on view here. Another attraction is the Pineapple Express train which takes you at a leisurely pace all over the plantation. We did not have time on this tour to go in the train, but we had enjoyed the train ride in our last visit to Hawaii in 2019.

At the end of an eventful day, we were dropped back to our respective hotels

The tour was very enjoyable and gave a good mix of Sights & Bites as promised!

SUNGTA ALLE PIYAVA GHASHI (PRAWN CURRY KONKANI STYLE)

 SUNGTA ALLE PIYAVA GHASHI 

Today's dish is from our Konkani coastal cuisine and is called Sungta Alle Piyava Ghashi. The name comes from the Konkani terms for the main ingredients which are Prawns (Sungat), Ginger (Alle) and Onion (Piyav). This dish goes great with hot steamed rice.  

My husband and I love shrimps, or prawns as they are commonly called in India. Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for other dishes made with prawns such as:-

• Goan Prawn Curry
• Sungta Humman
• Prawn Masala

Besides being so yummy in these dishes, prawns are rich in Omega 3 Fatty Acids and have an abundance of proteins. So, I make some prawn dish from time to time.

I hope you will like this dish made with Prawns in our Konkani style as much as we do! 

Ingredients:-

• Prawns, 20 or about 250 grams
• Onion, 1
• Green Chillies, 3-4
• Ginger, 1 " piece
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1 cup
• Roasted Byadgi Red Chillies, 6
• Tamarind, size of a small marble
• Coconut Oil, 1 tbsp
• Salt, to taste

Method:-

Wash the prawns and devein them. Keep aside. 

Chop the ginger, peel and chop the onion, and slit the green chillies

In a mixer jar, grind together the fresh coconut gratings, roasted Byadgi red chillies, and  tamarind to a smooth paste, adding water as required

Transfer this ground paste to a vessel,  add water to bring to a gravy like consistency 

To this add the chopped ginger, onions, slit green chillies, and salt to taste

Mix well and bring to a boil 

Lower the flame and let it simmer for a few minutes

Add the prawns and mix gently 

Cook till the prawns curl to a C shape and get done, stirring gently occasionally 

Do not overcook as the prawns will get chewy, 

Finally, drizzle the coconut oil, mix gently and switch off the gas

Keep the Sungta Alle Piyava Ghashi covered for about 10-15 minutes for it to absorb all the flavours

Serve with hot steamed rice

PRAWN MASALA

 PRAWN MASALA

My husband and I love shrimps, or prawns as they are commonly called in India. Prawns are known as Jinga in Hindi, Zinga in Marathi, Sigadi in Kannada, and Sungat in my mother tongue, Konkani. 

Apart from being very tasty, prawns are rich in Omega 3 Fatty Acids and have an abundance of proteins . 

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for dishes made with prawns, such as:-

• Sungta Humman, a spicy dish made with prawns- from our coastal Konkani cuisine.
• Goan Prawn Curry
• Prawn Curry 

Today's recipe is for a yummy and spicy Prawns Masala which goes great with peas pulao or jeera rice. 

I have adapted this recipe  for Prawn Masala  from the famous Master Chef, Sanjeev Kapoor. 

We tried this out recently and loved it served with Peas Pulao. 

Ingredients:-

• Large- sized Prawns, 20 or about 250 grams 
• Large-sized Onion, 1
• Curry Leaves, about 15
• Ginger, roughly chopped, 1 " piece
• Garlic Cloves, 4-5
• Byadgi Red Chillies, 3
• Medium-sized Tomato 1
• Coconut Gratings, 1 tbsp
• Fennel Seeds ( Saunf), 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Chilli Powder, 1 tsp
• Green Chillies, 2
• Kitchen King Masala, 1/2 tsp 
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 3 tbsp

Method:-

Wash, peel and devein the prawns, clean them well 

Marinate the prawns by adding a little salt, chilli powder and turmeric powder and keep aside for about 10 -15 minutes

Cut the onion into thin slices 

Slit green chillies without cutting through

Cut the tomato into quarters

In a small mixer jar, grind together ginger, garlic cloves, Byadgi red chillies, tomato, along with the coconut gratings, fennel seeds and 3 tbsp of water to a smooth paste. Keep aside

In a non-stick pan, heat 3 tbsp of oil and on medium heat add the curry leaves and the sliced onions

Saute till the onions get slightly golden brown 

To this add the freshly ground paste and cook for about 2-3 minutes till the raw smell goes

Add salt as required ( remember that salt has been added to marinate the prawns) 

Add the slit green chillies and the marinated prawns. Mix well

Cover and cook for about 4-5 minutes till the prawns curl to a "C" as they get done

Gently stir in the Kitchen King masala, 

Switch off the gas and transfer the Prawn Masala to a serving bowl

Serve Prawn Masala with rice, or rotis or parathas. 

SUNGTA HUMMAN (PRAWN CURRY)

 SUNGTA HUMMAN (PRAWN CURRY)

My husband and I love shrimps, or prawns as they are commonly called in India. Today's recipe is for a dish from our Konkani coastal cuisine called Sungta Humman. Prawns are known as Sungat in Konkani and Humman is a spicy-tangy coconut based curry.  

Prawns are rich in Omega 3 Fatty Acids and have an abundance of proteins . 

I have used my favourite and ever dependable roasted Byadgi Red chillies. I always have some roasted ones ready at home. If you don't have them ready, you will need to roast them in a little oil. Based on the spice level you relish, you can use Byadgi with other chillies like Guntur if you wish, but here I have used only Byadgi Red Chillies which are not that spicy but give a good colour to the dish. 

As you would have seen from many of my recipes, I always add 1 tsp of Raw Rice for grinding the masala to give it a better texture, but this is optional.

In making this dish, remember that prawns get cooked pretty soon so you need to be a little careful. Overcooked prawns tend to get chewy. 

We love this Sungta Humman served with hot steamed rice! 

Ingredients:-

• Sungat ( Prawns),  20-25 or about 250 gms,
• Coconut Gratings, 1 cup
• Roasted Byadgi Red Chillies, 6-8
• Tamarind, a marble sized ball
• Raw Rice, 1 tsp 
• Asafoetida Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Coconut Oil, 1 tbsp
• Salt, to taste

Method:- 

Wash, peel and devein the prawns, clean them and keep aside

In a mixer jar, grind together the coconut gratings, roasted Byadgi red chillies, tamarind, and raw rice to a smooth paste adding the required amount of water. Keep aside 

Dissolve the asafoetida powder in a little water and keep aside 

Heat the ground masala in a wide-mouthed vessel , add salt to taste, 

To this add a little water to adjust the consistency and bring to a boil

Reduce the heat and add the prawns 

Cover and let this simmer for 5 minutes or till the prawns are fully cooked, stirring gently occasionally 

Please note that prawns get cooked quite fast. When the prawns are fully cooked they curl to a C shape

Switch off the gas, and add the asafoetida water and coconut oil. Mix gently again

Keep covered for 15-20 minutes for the Sungta Humman to get fully infused with the asafoetida and coconut oil flavors 

Serve with steamed rice