Spicy Prawn Masala

Hey, friend! Today, I want to share a recipe that’s super special to me: a rich, fragrant, and seriously tasty Prawn Masala.

There’s just something about the mix of juicy prawns and toasted spices that gets me every time. It reminds me of the amazing coastal food you find in South Asia, where fresh seafood meets a box full of incredible spices.

Now, you’ve probably seen a million prawn curry recipes. Some are creamy with coconut milk, others are tangy. But this one? This one’s a bit different. It’s more of a thick, semi-dry dish where the spicy masala hugs every single prawn.

I first fell in love with this style of cooking at a friend’s house. The smell that filled the kitchen was just out of this world. It’s that cozy, home-cooked food that makes a meal feel like an event. So, we’re going to build up those amazing flavors, one step at a time, to make a dish that’s perfect for a weeknight dinner but also fancy enough to show off to guests.

Your Cooking Game Plan

Before we jump in, let’s quickly go over the plan. This recipe is pretty simple, even if you’re new to the kitchen, but there are a few little tricks that make it really good.

• Time: You’ll need about 15 minutes to get everything ready and another 30 minutes for the actual cooking. All in all, you’ll have this on the table in about 45 minutes. Not bad, right?
• Difficulty: I’d call this one Easy to Medium. The steps are simple. The only real challenge is making sure you don’t overcook the prawns. But don’t worry, I’ll walk you right through it.

How Much to Make?

This recipe makes enough for 4 people. But what if you’re cooking for two, or for a whole crowd? Easy. Just adjust the main ingredients like this:

Servings	Prawns	Onions (Large)	Tomatoes (Medium)	Water
For 2	125g	½	1	¼ cup
For 4	250g	1	2	½ cup
For 8	500g	2	4	1 cup

(Just a little note: You can pretty much double or halve the spice amounts, too.)

What You’ll Need

You don’t need any crazy equipment. Here’s the short list:

• A kadai or a heavy-bottomed wok is perfect.¹ If you don’t have one, a wide, sturdy pan will work just fine.
• A mixing bowl for the marinade.
• A good knife and a cutting board.

Want to prep ahead? You totally can! Make the masala base (everything before you add the prawns) and keep it in the fridge for a day or two. When you’re ready to eat, just heat it up, toss in the prawns, and cook for 5-7 minutes. It’s my favorite trick for easy dinners.

The Heart of the Dish: Your Ingredients

Great food starts with great ingredients. For this Prawn Masala, we’re using a mix of fresh stuff and spices to get that signature flavor.

First up, the star: the prawns. You’ll need 250 grams of cleaned, peeled, and deveined prawns. Taking that little vein out is important because it can be gritty. Nobody wants gritty prawns. If you’re using frozen ones, just let them thaw out completely and pat them dry with a paper towel before you marinate them. This helps the spices stick.

Next, we build our flavor foundation. We’ll start by waking up some whole spices—1 piece of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds, and 2 cardamom pods—in 3 tablespoons of hot oil. This makes them release all their amazing smells. Our base is built on 1 large, finely chopped onion, which gives it a sweet, savory backbone. We’ll also toss in 1 slit green chili for a little kick and a sprig of curry leaves for that classic South Indian scent.

The real soul of the dish comes from our spice pastes and powders. We’ll need ginger garlic paste, chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, and black pepper powder. Trust me, using a good, fragrant garam masala makes a huge difference. To bring it all together, we’ll use 2 medium, finely chopped tomatoes. Nice ripe ones will give your masala a beautiful color and a little sweetness.

Let’s Cook! The Step-by-Step Method

Alright, apron on? Let’s get to it. I’ll walk you through everything.

Step 1: Marinate the Prawns

First thing’s first. Let’s get those prawns soaking up some flavor. In your mixing bowl, add the 250g of cleaned prawns. Now, add all the marinade ingredients:

• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp black pepper powder
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp garam masala
• Salt to taste

Gently mix it all up with your hands until every single prawn is covered in that beautiful, reddish spice blend. Let them hang out for about 10 minutes. This little rest doesn’t just add flavor; it also helps the prawns firm up a bit.

Step 2: Give the Prawns a Quick Sear

Heat the 3 tbsp of oil in your pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, carefully add the marinated prawns. You should hear a nice, loud sizzle!

Toss them in the oil and spread them out. We aren’t cooking them all the way through yet. We’re just giving them a quick sear to lock in the juices. Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, tossing them every so often, until they just turn pink.

Then, use a slotted spoon to take the prawns out of the pan and set them aside. Super important tip: Do not throw out the oil left in the pan! That stuff is pure liquid gold. It’s the flavor base for our entire dish.

Step 3: Build that Masala Magic

Let the juices in the pan bubble for a minute to thicken up. Now, turn the heat down to medium and add your whole spices: cinnamon, fennel seeds, and cardamom. Let them sizzle for about a minute until you can really smell them. Your kitchen is about to smell amazing.

Next, add the chopped onion, green chili, and curry leaves. Cook this, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. You want the onions to get soft and a little golden. Now, add the 1 tsp of ginger garlic paste and cook for one more minute until that raw garlic smell is gone.

Time for the powdered spices! Add the chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric, garam masala, and black pepper, plus a little salt. Stir this constantly for about 30 seconds. Watch out! You have to be careful here because powdered spices can burn easily and turn bitter. Keep the heat on medium-low and keep everything moving.

Now, toss in the chopped tomatoes. Mix it all together, cover the pan, and turn the heat down to low. Let it cook for about 5 minutes. This lets the tomatoes break down and turn into a thick, bubbling paste. When you lift the lid, the tomatoes should be super soft, and you’ll see oil separating at the edges. That’s the sign of a perfect masala.

Step 4: The Grand Finale

Turn the heat back up to medium-high. Pour in the ½ cup of water and scrape up any delicious brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Let it simmer for a minute.

Finally, it’s time to bring back the prawns! Add the cooked prawns to the pan and gently fold them into that glorious sauce. Let it all simmer together for no more than 5 minutes. This is just enough time for the prawns to soak up all those flavors without getting tough. The masala will be thick, shiny, and clinging to every prawn.

And that’s it! You’re done.

Make It Your Own

One of the best things about this recipe is you can totally tweak it.

Want to change the heat? No problem. For a milder dish, use less chili. For a super spicy version, add more!

Spice Level	Green Chilli	Chili Powder	Black Pepper
Mild	0-½	½ tsp (Kashmiri is best)	¼ tsp
Medium	1	1 tsp	½ tsp
Spicy	2-3	1½ tsp	1 tsp

This recipe is already gluten-free and dairy-free. But if you want a creamier, richer sauce, stir in 2-3 tablespoons of coconut milk or heavy cream right at the end.

Serving and Storing

Okay, how should you serve this masterpiece?

• Spoon it into a bowl and sprinkle some fresh chopped cilantro on top.
• It’s perfect with fluffy basmati rice to soak up all that yummy masala.
• It’s also incredible scooped up with warm naan bread or roti.
• A side of cool cucumber raita (a yogurt dip) is a perfect balance to the spice.

Got leftovers? Lucky you! Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, just warm it up gently in a pan on the stove. I’d avoid the microwave because it can make the prawns chewy.

You can also freeze the masala base (before adding the prawns). It keeps for a couple of months. Then, when you need a quick dinner, just thaw the sauce, heat it up, and cook some fresh prawns in it. It’ll taste like you made it from scratch.

I really hope you enjoy making—and eating—this Prawn Masala. Happy cooking!

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