Okay, I know it seems strange for me, an American guy, to be writing this post about a very regional Indian curry instead of my Indian wife (who actually cooked it). But there’s a reason for it. On my very first trip to India, when we got married nearly ten years ago 😲, we had a honeymoon down to Kerala, which is in South India (whereas Alpana is from Mumbai). That was a long time ago, and I can’t say that I remember all of the foods. But one in particular stuck out: prawn moilee. See, we were staying at this hotel, I guess you could call it. It was really just some separate buildings with rooms in them. But it was really cool, right on the river, and very nice. We had it all to ourselves that time of year, and the host was very happy to have the cook prepare anything we asked for. After looking over a menu, we chose prawn moilee one night. It was my absolute favorite dish from the whole trip. And best of all, after asking for the recipe, they actually wrote it down and gave it to us! After all these years, we’ve kept that piece of paper safe and cooked the recipe many many times.. So here you go, my favorite dish from my first India trip, as graciously provided by the chef at the hotel we stayed at in Kerala, and which we cooked last night to celebrate Diwali.
Ingredients Needed
Shrimp (AKA Prawns) – Peeled and deveined, with tails on. Ginger – An Indian staple. Interestingly, there is no garlic here. Turmeric – This is part of the shrimp marinade, and adds some color. Oil or ghee – Ghee is more traditional, but you can get away with regular oil. Mustard seeds – These really add some unique flavor to the dish, so don’t skip them. Curry leaves – Essential to moilee. We get them at our local Indian grocery store. Chili peppers – We use jalapeno. Serrano also works, but we have used Thai birds eye chilis when we crave a spicier curry. Onion – Sliced, because it’s easier to pick out that way. Tomato – Nice and ripe. Coriander powder – This is another staple in Indian food. Coconut milk – The liquid element. We like Goya brand. Salt – It’s used in the prawn marinade, but can also be used to taste in the curry. Cilantro – For garnish.
Prawn Moilee Recipe
Marinate the prawns with salt, turmeric and chopped ginger for 30 minutes, or while you prep the rest of your ingredients. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a pot and sauté the prawns for a few minutes until they start to curl up. Remove them to a plate. In the same pot, heat 2 Tbsp oil and once the oil is hot, add in mustard seeds and cook until they start to pop. Add in curry leaves and sauté until they start crackling. Once they start to turn a little brown, add in sliced onion and sauté for 7-8 minutes, or until they start turning light golden brown. Add in sliced tomatoes along with salt and coriander powder and cook the tomatoes till they are soft. Add prawns back in and cook for a minute. Lower the heat and stir in coconut milk and mix well. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until prawns are fully cooked. The cook time will depend upon the size of the prawns. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve immediately with warm basmati rice. So there you have it, my favorite dish from the south of India. If you’re new to Indian food, it’s a great starter dish because it’s not overly spicy. If you try this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment, we love to hear from you. And be sure to stay in the loop by subscribing to our newsletter or following us on Pinterest.
Happy Diwali!
Try these other great Indian Dishes:Authentic Chicken MasalaShrimp KormaPaneer JalfreziEgg BhurgiAloo PalakChicken TikkaMethi Chicken
