Bachelor Food, Mangalorean Specialities, Seafood Dishes
Quick and Simple Prawns Ghee Roast!
This is one of Mangalore’s most loved dishes….served in almost all Mangalorean restaurants and joints, first created in the kitchens of a well known eatery in Kundapur, Udupi of Dakshina Karnataka. It is a sought after delicacy, prepared using pure ghee or clarified butter and a wonderful blend of ground simple spices. The ghee roast is most commonly made with Chicken, but can also be made using prawns or for vegetarians with Paneer/Cottage cheese.
The traditional preparation is fragrant, fiery hot and tongue tingling, it will brings tears to your eyes, sweat to your brow and send your tastebuds into a wild frenzy….yet for reasons best known to oneself …you just cannot stop eating it!!
This recipe is my version of the ghee roast, it is not as fiery hot as the one I have had in Mangalore, it is toned down and a very tasty version which is much simpler to prepare as well. It does not involve grinding to make the spice paste or masala, which I think helps when you are constrained for time!!
To make a Quick and Simple Chicken Ghee Roast using this recipe, simply double the quantity of the marinade and spice paste then follow the steps here
To make a Quick and Simple Chicken Ghee Roast using this recipe, simply double the quantity of the marinade and spice paste then follow the steps here
To make my version of the ghee roast you will need:
Ingredients:
Big Prawns – 15 nos cleaned deshelled and deveined.
Marinade:
Lemon juice- 1/2 no
Curds -2 tbsps
White Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4tsp
Salt – To taste
Rice flour: 1.5 tsp
For the Spice Paste or Masala:
Red chilli powder – 1.5 heaped tsps
Paprika – 1tsp
Coriander powder- 1 tsp
Cumin powder – ½ tsp
Methi powder – 1/4 tsp
Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
Tamarind paste- 1/4 tsp
Tomato paste: 1/2 tsp
Vegetable oil to make paste.
Pure Ghee for frying – 2 heaped tbsp
Curry Leaves- 1 sprig
Method:
1. Clean and devein prawns. Dry on kitchen paper to remove excess moisture.
2. In a bowl take all marinade ingredients and mix well. Add the prawns. Let it marinade for at least half an hour- 1 hour.
3. Take all the masala ingredients in a bowl, add a little oil to make a thick paste.
4. Heat ghee in a shallow pan. Take out prawns one by one and place into the heated ghee (shake off excess marinade from the prawns, let it drip back into the bowl, keep aside). Fry the marinated prawns till they turn an opaque white/ pink. Take out onto a plate and keep warm.
5. In the same ghee , fry curry leaves, add the masala paste and fry for about 2 minutes. Add the reserved marinade and the cooked prawns. Mix well, and keep for 2-3 mins on slow fire till he gravy comes to a boil. Check for seasoning . When the masala gets thick, transfer to serving dish, serve hot with lemon wedges.
Enjoy!!
