Sri Lankan Prawns Curry

I have tried prawns in a variety of preparation styles and flavours but making this Sri Lankan style curry was my first. As always I was very excited to try out something new with a new combination of flavours and using a different variety of ingredients. This juicy prawns curry infused with the Sri Lankan spice mix I made from scratch and coconut milk base was exactly what I needed after a super hectic day.

Traditionally you add the prawns heads into the curry for an additional depth of flavour. However, I had bought some pre-cleaned prawns from the market which had their heads removed so could not add the heads. In this recipe I have nevertheless written how to use the prawns heads in the preparation. 

The curry definitely came out amazing and simply mesmerising. Hope you enjoy the recipe as much as I did. Cheers!!

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SERVES: 4
PREP TIME: 20 mins

COOK TIME: 40 mins

for Curry Powder (Sri Lankan spice blend)

• 4 tbsp coriander seeds
• 3 tbsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp black peppercorn
• 2 tbsp raw basmati rice
• 1 tbsp mustard seeds
• 3 tsp cloves
• 2 tsp green cardamom seeds (only seeds from the pod)
• 1 tsp fennel seeds

for Curry

• 500g large prawns (with the head)
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp Sri Lankan curry powder
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 4 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 inch ginger (minced)
• 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp Sri Lankan Curry Powder
• ½ ground fennel 
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 12 curry leaves
• 3 pandan leaves
• ⅓ cup coconut milk
• ⅔ cup water
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp coriander leaves (finely chopped)

1. Prepare Curry Powder: In a pan add raw rice and roast it till it becomes slightly brown. Now add the rest of the dry spices and dry roast it for few minutes till they are fragrant. Remove from heat and let it cool down. Using a spice grinder or mortar pestle, grind the spices into fine powder. You can store this in an airtight container for use in different recipes for quite a long time. 

2. Prepare Prawns: Clean the prawns by removing the heads and setting them aside. Peel the skin off, leaving the tail intact. Rinse the prawns and the head of the prawns separately and set aside. Sprinkle some salt and curry powder over the prawns and let it marinate while you prepare the curry base.

3. Make Curry: On a medium flame heat your pan and add coconut oil. Once it's hot, add the heads of the prawns to the pan and cook it for 5-10 mins until the heads become crispy and slightly caramelized. Now, add the onion, ginger, garlic, pandan leaves and a generous amount of salt and reduce the heat. Cook the shrimp heads till they soften a bit. Add the curry powder, ground fennel, cayenne pepper, red chilli powder, ground black pepper, curry leaves and sauté it, mixing in intervals until the spices are fragrant and have formed a paste. Now add coconut milk, water and lime juice and stir to combine. Bring the this to a boil. Cover and simmer for 10-15 mins until the mixture is thick and dark red in colour. Add the peeled prawns into the gravy and gently mix to combine and coat the prawns with the gravy. Add a ¼ cup water if the gravy feels too thick or if you like your curry to be a bit watery. Gently stir the mixture and bring it to a boil. Cook just till the prawns are cooked through and is nice and pink. Check for seasoning and turn off the heat. Cover the pan with a lid and let the prawns sit in the gravy for few mins. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and enjoy with some hot steaming rice.

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