Friday, December 7, 2007

Pan seared Prawns

This has been lying in my drafts for quite a while and I decided to complete it today and post it. It is an easy appetizer and another one of B's specality. Whenever I challenge him that he cannot handle the kitchen even for a day ,he would do this to break my nose. It's so simple and so flavorful and usually the dish is done in 10 to 15 mins minus the prawns cleaning time. So, here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:
Prawns- 20 (peeled and deveined on both sides)
onion- 1 big
garlic- 5 pods
sambar powder- 1 tsp
chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
turmeric- 1/4 tsp
pepper- 1/4 tsp
lemon juice- 1 tbsp
salt as required
cilantro- 3 tbsp
bell pepper- 1 or 1/2 (cut lengthwise)

Procedure:
Clean Prawns and set aside.Drain on a paper towel. Add all the seasonings like sambar powder, chilli powder, turmeric, pepperand salt. Mix well. Heat a big non-stick pan. When hot add a 2 tsp oil and coat the pan evenly. Slowly put the prawns inside. Taking care that each and every prawn is seated well on the pan. Keep the flame in medium high. After 2 mins, flip over the shrimps and cook on the other side (another 2 mins) until it gets a nice roasted texture on the outside. Add very little water (less than 1/4 cup) and close the pan. Cook for 5 mins. After that, take off the lid and allow all the water to dry out. Keep tossing every now and then taking care that it dosen't stick to the pan. When the Prawns are almost done, add the onions and bell pepper. Just stir-fry it so that the vegetables are still crisp. Finally add lemon juice and cilantro. Mix well and serve on a bed of cabbage or lettuce.

Note: Do not over-cook the prawns. It tends to become rubbery. Seafoods generally gets cooked fast unlike mutton or chicken. Do not over-cook the vegetables also in this dish. A stir-fry for 2 mins will do. You can do the same dish with cut chicken breasts too. It would be like a non-fried version of chilli chicken or a great stuffing for fajitas.

This dish is a great appetizer and crowd-pleaser. Whenever we do this for the party, it disappears in a flash. My hubby says that it goes very well with wine, but for me it is a perfect pair for coke.

25 comments:

Kalai said...

That looks so yummy! You've given me a great idea for something to make this weekend! Thanks for another great one.

sunita said...

Dinesh (my better half) would have loved this...but the poor guy has been allergic to prawns for a while :-(

Cynthia said...

You mean you have been letting this delicious dish just languish there while I have been starving for shrimp?! Shame on you :)

Chef Jeena said...

Kribha this dish looks amazing so tempting. I don't normally crave prawns but this is making me want some! :)

Seema said...

Looks great.. my mouths watering looking at it. I love prawns.. specially the ones we get back home - fresh & more tasty too i think. Nice one Kribha!

Rajesh &Shankari said...

What a tasty dish :). On another note, I read abt Kavin. Thanks for taking the time to let other bloggers know abt this. I am glad he is fine now. He looks like a real michevious & charming kid!

Finla said...

I love prawns and this looks delicious. Hey if it was me i would challange him more often just to get this delicious prawns :-)

Rachel said...

Prawns are the most preferred at home amongst the seafood..sambar powder in this dish sounds interesting..looks lovely..

J said...

The picture looks so tempting!! Liked the kovakkai kadalai curry recipe too.

indosungod said...

Kribha, love shrimp, this looks delicious. Have to agree B is a good cook :)

Mandira said...

Kribha - this looks fabulous, B is a good cook!

remya said...

prawns looks yumm...i like to grab that whole plate right from there...i'm seafood lover...

Kavitha said...

Yummy looking prawns. I like how you said "devein on both sides" I am very picky about that too. generally people devein only on one side.

Kribha said...

Hi Kalai,
Glad that you dropped by. I wonder what dish you are going to come up with.

Hi sunita,
thanks for your comment dear. Oh...Dinesh is allergic to prawns? I also get some itchiness and bumps when I eat a certain kind of shrimp. But not always. Anyway, you can try this recipe with chicken too.

Hi Cynthia,
Aw....I'm so sorry to make you feel like that. I'll be very glad to cook it for you if you drop by my house sometime.

Hi Jeena,
Thanks dear. So happy that you liked it.

Hi Seema,
You are so right. The small prawns we get in India are so flavorful than the ones we get here.

Hi Shankari,
Thanks for dropping by and writing those generous words. I just visited your blog and felt it was a great one too. Will be in touch.

Hi Hc,
LOL! Challenge him more often. You found out my secret at last. I challenge him purposely so that I'll be work free.:-)

Rajesh &Shankari said...

Hi Kribha
I dont take classes, but I am teaching Indian cooking at a cooking school here :)

Vetirmagal said...

That looks very good. Thanks for the tips. I will use the recipe soon and I am sure it will be a hit with my friends too.

Kribha said...

Hi Rachel,
Glad that you liked the prawns. I used sambar powder to have that south-indian flavor. I have used other flavoring spices before like lemon pepper, cajun and garlic pepper. But nothing appealed to best as sambar powder.

Hi Jyothsna,
sorry for my late response. Thanks for dropping by. Glad that you liked the curry.

Hi ISG,
Thanks dear. Sure, B is a good cook. See, that's why it's so difficult to cook fro him. He is such a critic for all my dishes.

Hi Mandira and Remya,
Thanks dears for your kind comments. Happy to see that you liked it. Mandira you made B so happy. And Remya, I'll gladly pass on that plate for now.

Hi Spicelover,
Thanks for dropping by. Personally I do not like prawns deveined on one side alone. Also, the crabs we gets in restaurants are first boiled as it is and then cleaned. Ew...I just can't tolerate that. That's why I had to write that specifically. Glad that you are also like me.

Hi Shankari,
sorry for mistaking you as a student. Just went thru you blog and came to know more about you. Anyway, I'm so glad to have found you.

Hi Vetrimagal,
So nice to hear back from you after awhile. Hope everything is fine with you. When I read your comment I came to know that you have a son-in-law. So, I'm pretty sure that you are a very experienced cook. Still, do try this sometime. You will surely like it.

USHA said...

Hi Kribha,

Wow!!recipe is absolutely delicious...looks like served in big restaurants.....hats off to your hubby.

Kribha said...

Hi Usha,
Thanks dear. I'll surely convey your compliments to my hubby. It will make him so happy. :-)

Shella said...

Kribha now you are making me really really hungry. Pls add this also in my Menu list. I love praws, n also give a big congrats to your hubby

Kribha said...

Hi Shella,
Sorry for making you feel hungry. My hubby thanked you for the compliments. I'll gladly add this to my list. :-)

Shella said...

Hyeeeeeee, was just thinking about you y'day, n was wondering how you are. Glad to have you back sweetie. How's baby?? Hugs

Kribha said...

Hi Shella,
Thankyou so much for thinking about me. I'm becoming lazy nowadays to blog. Kavin is doing good especially with your prayers. Hope to be regular in blogging soon.

Unknown said...

hi kribha, where do u get prawns in US? I love it so much but i dont get it anywhere in my area, where do u purchase from?

Kribha said...

Hi RV,
I get my prawns from the chinese super markets or Farmers market (not frozen). I use uncooked ones only. Hope you have chinese markets in your place too. Good Luck!