Pakistani Prawn Karahi Masala

A prawn karahi curry is a seafood alternative on the more traditional and popular chicken or lamb Karahi. A quick and deliciously moreish curry with a thick, rich, flavoursome masala sauce that will have you going back for more. Karahi masala is named after the steep-sided, wok-like pot in which this dish would traditionally be cooked. Though the word karahi refers to the cooking vessel, it is also a synonym for a thick tomato-ginger masala sauce. The karahi curries are very popular in the Indian subcontinent, specifically Pakistan and North India. Prawn Karahi is traditionally served hot, garnished with fresh coriander and ginger juliennes, often accompanied by rice or naan.

	Garnish
2 tbsp Ghee 1 tsp Cumin seeds ½ tsp Nigella seeds ½ tsp Ajwain seeds (or same amount of caraway or fennel seeds) 3 cm Ginger root, peeled and finely grated 500 g Tomatoes, fresh or in tin, pureed 2 tbsp Tomato paste ¼ - ½ tsp ground turmeric ½ - 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder Sea salt, to taste 450 g Shelled, deveined, fresh raw prawns	1 Organic lemon, cut into wedges 2-3 cm Ginger, peeled and cut into fine strips 2 tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped 1 Green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (ran out the green chilli, so I used red instead)

Heat the ghee in a wok or frying pan over a medium-high heat and, once hot, fry the cumin, nigella and ajwain seeds for 1 minute until fragrant.
Add the grated ginger and fry briefly or until fragrant, then stir in the pureed tomatoes. Reduce the heat slightly, add a splash of water and stir until it starts to simmer. Add the tomato paste, turmeric, chilli powder and salt to taste.
Keep cooking for 7-9 minutes, or until the sauce thickens and the oil begins to rise to the surface. Add the prawns and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until they turn pink – be careful not to overcook the prawns or they will go rubbery.
Garnish with coriander, ginger, chillie and lemon. Serve immediately with rice or naan.

5 comments:

Tom 17/3/26 12:15: ...I LOVE prawns!!!
My name is Erika. 17/3/26 13:58: I just finished reading a mystery set in Pakistan and there was lots of food mentioned that I didn't recognize. This looks tasty. And prawns are always a good choice too. Have a great rest of your day Angie.
Lola Martínez 17/3/26 14:18: Son bastante especiados pero seguro que me gustarían. El langostino es un marisco que se adapta muy bien a todo tipo de ingredientes.
DEZMOND 17/3/26 14:58: Sadly, I have never had prawn in my life, even while I was not vegetarian as a kid, my parents almost never fed us with sea food.
Lori 17/3/26 14:59: This dish looks and sounds delicious!!