Prawn Puri

The actual “puri” part of this recipe is made separately… check out my light, fluffy gluten free puri recipe and make it alongside this one that makes prawn puri. It’s the perfect way to mop up all the delicious juices and is the traditional way to serve up this dish.

Puri (sometimes called ‘poori’) is normally served up as a starter – you’ve probably seen it in your local Indian restaurant – although you could also make it as a main meal.

It’s a type of bread that is deep-fried without the use of yeast or any other raising agent. Puri is often made with whole wheat flour, although my gluten free version uses chapati flour.

This bread is of Bangladeshi origin, although you’ll find it all over the Indian sub-continent. Even though you can find it in many Indian restaurants, don’t let that mislead you to believing it is of Indian origin! 

The term ‘puri’ derives from the Sanskrit word ‘pura’ which means filled.  

Of course, in this recipe, I make my puri with a delicious prawn filling, hence the name prawn puri.

This prawn puri is a recipe of two halves: the prawns and the tangy, spicy and rich masala sauce – a combination of garlic and ginger, onions, garam, fresh tomatoes and tomato puree.

It’s a starter that’s very popular in India but is actually of Bangladeshi origin. It’s something you have to try if you love Indian cuisine and spicy foods. 

Prawn puri pairs wonderfully with other curries or other Indian inspired dishes like the keema matar and makai ka soweta.

King prawns are always a good bet in a prawn curry. Big, juicy and tender, they also soak up a lot of the juices.

Another big, tasty type of prawn is tiger prawns. You can get both king and tiger prawns with heads and shells removed. I highly recommend them for this prawn puri recipe.
  
You can also buy fresh prawns from a fish market. It’s great to buy fresh ingredients, but be aware that you are adding prep time by having to remove the shells and heads of the prawns. If you’ve got the time, go for it!

Prawns should never smell fishy. If they do, don’t get them. Instead, they should smell fresh and clean and should look moist.

Remember that you might need to adjust the cooking time, depending on the size of the prawn.

Small prawns take around 2 minutes and medium sized prawns take around 3–4 minutes. Large prawns need a little longer – around 5–8 minutes.

The key to knowing when prawns are cooked is their colour. Raw, uncooked prawns are a translucent grey colour. Cooked prawns turn an opaque white with a bit of pinky, reddish colour.

If the prawns are still grey, keep on cooking!

If the prawns start curling up into a tight little "O" shape, they’re overcooked.

It’s safe to cook prawns from frozen, but I wouldn’t recommend it. You’ll most likely end up with rubbery overcooked prawns, which would be a waste of a delicious ingredient.

Leave them out?! It’s called a PRAWN puri for a reason you know.

Only kidding. If prawns aren’t your thing you can easily make this recipe with skinless, boneless chicken pieces. It’ll be just as delicious.

Chop the chicken pieces into bite size chunks and cook for 8–10 minutes.

You could also use mussels in place of prawns in this recipe.

You can use either oil or ghee in this prawn puri. If you do use oil, go for vegetable oil or something with a neutral flavour.

If you’ve never cooked with ghee before, this is a great recipe to use it for the first time.

Ghee is a form of clarified butter that is very popular in Asian cooking. It’s made by melting regular butter. This separates the liquid fats and milk solids. The milk solids are then removed.

Ghee has a high smoking point, making it great for curries, which often need to be cooked over a high heat. It also has a very distinctive nutty taste, which makes it perfect for curries, and it also has some health benefits.  

As I mentioned before, my gluten free puri is perfect for this recipe. It’s a deep-fried bread that’s traditionally made in India to accompany prawn curry.

There is nothing better than eating freshly made bread, so don’t miss out on this one!

Yes! It brings a rich tomato taste to the masala sauce. You can substitute it with tomato concentrate or sun dried tomato paste.

Garam is the key spice in this prawn puri recipe. Cumin and turmeric are also important to bring an earthy spiciness.

You can also use ground mustard seeds, ground fenugreek, ground coriander and chilli powder.

Yes, kashmiri chilli powder is a great ingredient to use in prawn puri. It’s popular in Indian food and brings moderate heat and a real vivid red colour.

You’ll only need to simmer the sauce for around 10 minutes after all the ingredients have been added to the pan. 

You’ll know the sauce is done when the tomatoes have completely collapsed into the sauce. It will have turned thick and glossy. 

Make sure you’re happy with the consistency and taste of your sauce before you add your prawns.

Lime juice and coriander are really important parts of this prawn puri recipe. They add a final flourish. Lime brings an important tang to the prawn puri, while coriander adds a refreshing, earthy citrus taste.