Prawn Malai Curry

My husband not only is a big connoisseur of food, he’s a great cook himself! Well, over the years he’s gone from being a good to an excellent cook. This prawn preparation is a very famous Bengali prawn preparation, but normally the way I cook is a little different than this recipe. Well, the fact is, this is my husband’s way of making this preparation. I would love to share this recipe with you all as it tastes great….may be even better than the one I normally make! :)

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 20 mins| Yield: 4-5 Servings

INGREDIENTS
24 Medium Prawns
1 Cup Coconut Milk
1 Cup Milk
1½ Medium Onion
1 tsp Ginger Paste
4 Green Chillies*
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tbsp Cumin Powder
2 tsp Kasmiri Red Chili Powder**
2 Bay Leaves
2 Whole Cardamoms
½” Cinnamon Stick
4 Whole Cloves
2 Dry Red Chilli
4 tbsp Ghee (Clarified Butter)
1 tsp Sugar
Coriander Leaves (for garnishing)
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Remove the shells of prawn, leaving the tails intact. De-vein them and clean thoroughly.
   
2. Make a paste of the onion and leave it aside.
3. Heat 2 tbsp of ghee and fry the prawns lightly. The prawns would now be red in colour.
4. Leave them aside.
5. Heat the rest of the ghee.
   
6. Add the bay leaves, dry red chillies, cardamoms, cinnamon and the cloves. Stir for a few seconds till they slightly change in colour.
7. Add the onion paste and fry till light brown in colour.
   
8. Now add the ginger paste and fry for another minute or so.
9. Now add the powdered masala and a little water. Fry for a while till the water evaporates and then add little more water again. Again, keep frying till the oil separates.
   
10. Now add the coconut milk and the milk.
    
11. Bring this to a boil and add the sugar and the salt as per taste.
12. Add the prawns and the green chillies after making a slit in them.
    
13. Simmer and cook will the prawns are cooked and the gravy has a nice thick creamy texture.
    
14. Before serving remove the whole spices from the gravy and garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.
15. Serve hot with steamed rice.

NOTES
* Add as per taste.
** Kashmiri red chilli powder is not too hot but it gives the gravy a nice red colour.