Kerala Coconut Prawn Fry
Mustard seeds popping in coconut oil, curry leaves crackling, prawns in and out of the pan in three minutes.
Why it works
Prawns need barely three minutes, so the masala is built first and they go in last, onto a base that is already sweet and softened. The grated coconut goes in after that, where residual heat toasts it just enough to cling to the prawns. The rice is on the hob before the mustard seeds go in, so it steams and rests in the same window the pan is working.
Method
- Boil the kettle. Cover the rinsed rice with the salted boiling water in a small pan, boil it again, then cook under a lid on the lowest heat for 10 minutes. Leave it covered off the heat until you serve.
- Toss the prawns with the turmeric, chilli powder, pepper and salt in a bowl.
- Heat the coconut oil in a wide frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds and wait for them to pop, about 30 seconds, then the curry leaves — they will spit and crackle.
- Add the shallots and green beans and cook 4 minutes, stirring, until the shallots are soft and edged with brown and the beans have lost their squeak. Add the garlic, ginger and chillies and stir 1 minute, until the raw smell goes, then fold in the spinach and let it collapse, about a minute more.
- Turn the heat high and spread the prawns out over the vegetables. Leave them 90 seconds, then toss and cook 60–90 seconds more, until they curl into loose C shapes and are opaque right through. A tight O means they have gone too far.
- Scatter in the coconut and toss a minute, until it smells toasted and clings. Off the heat, squeeze over the lime and stir through the coriander. Fork the rice loose into four warm bowls and spoon the prawns and everything in the pan over the top.
For the toddler
Set aside a few prawns at step 2, before the chilli powder and salt, and lift out some shallot and beans at the end of the first four minutes of step 4, before the green chillies go in. Cook their prawns for two minutes in a small pan with a little coconut oil and a spoon of the grated coconut. Cut the beans into short soft pieces and chop the prawns small.
How the toddler notes workChef’s notes
Firm white fish in 3 cm chunks needs 4 minutes and gentler turning. Squid rings take 90 seconds flat.
Frozen raw prawns thaw in 5 minutes in cold water while you slice the shallots. Three 250 g pouches of microwave rice save the pan.
Thick yoghurt with a pinch of salt, lime pickle, and poppadoms if you have them.
2 days chilled. Warm gently — a hard reheat turns prawns rubbery.