Best Spicy Indian Shrimp Curry | Simple Prawn Curry

Shrimp Curry or Prawn Curry is a simple and easy-to-make spicy Indian red curry recipe ready in less than 30 minutes that you must try if you are a seafood lover. Prawns curry tastes best when served with steamed rice or Mangalorean kori rotti.

Jump to:

• About Prawns Curry
• Ingredients
• How to make Shrimp curry or Prawn Curry?
• Pro Tips
• FAQ
• Recipe card
• User Reviews

About Prawns Curry

Shrimp in the USA is known as prawns or prawn in India, Sungata in Konkani, Yetti or Etti in Tulu, Chingri in Bengali, Eral in Tamil, Chemmeen in Malayalam, Chingudi in Oriya.

This shrimp curry or prawn curry with coconut is an authentic spicy red curry from Mangalore.
If you are in the Southern part of India, especially coastal regions like Mangalore, Kerala, and Goa, you will see a lot of seafood recipes with coconut or coconut milk as a base. And if you visit any local seafood restaurants in the Mangalore region, you will see sungta hinga udda (uddak) as a popular item on the menu.

Hinga means hing or asafoetida, Udda or Udak implies water. Hinga udda means asafoetida water. One of the best, simplest preparation and signature dish of Konkanis. The smell of asafoetida and coconut oil is the highlight of the dish.

Add enough asafoetida powder or hing water to smell it in the dish. But be careful not to add excess as it may make your dish bitter. (The amount always varies on the brand of asafoetida you use)

Substituting the ingredients in the prawn curry will not give you an authentic taste. But if you are a vegetarian, you can try this with potatoes (aloo). This shrimp curry tastes the best the next day. So try to save some if possible 🙂

Ingredients

Shrimp / Prawns - 20
Coconut grated - ¾ to 1 cup
Dried red chilies - 6 to 8
Asafoetida / Hing - ½ tsp
Cashews - 6 to 8 (optional, check tips for its use)
Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

How to make Shrimp curry or Prawn Curry?

Peel and devein the shrimp

• Peel and devein the shrimp and wash them. If using frozen shrimp, follow the instructions given on your package.

Making the coconut masala paste

• Grind the coconut, dried red chilies, and cashews with water to form a thick, smooth paste. Only add a little water at a time.

Making of the curry shrimp

• Transfer this ground paste to a pan, add salt and adjust the water for desired consistency and bring it to a nice boil.
• Now add the shrimp and cook it for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the size of the shrimp. Shrimps cook faster. Do not overcook the shrimp. When the shrimp is cooked, it will turn orange in color and opaque in the center.
• Finally, add the asafoetida / hing powder or hing water and drizzle coconut oil. Switch off the flame. Cover the pan for 2 minutes.
• Serve hot and enjoy with steamed rice or kori rotti. 

Pro Tips

• Traditionally fresh grated coconut is used. But if you do not have access to fresh ones, use frozen or dry-grated coconut. The gravy tastes best when fresh coconut is used.
• Vary the amount of dry red chilies as per your taste. If you want to make the dish spicier or if the dried chilies used were not spicy enough, then add red chile powder. I generally mix Kashmiri chilies and Guntur chilies which give both color and spiciness to the dish. 
• If the gravy is too thick, add water. I love the gravy to have medium-thick consistency when served with rice or rotti. 
• If you like a little sourness in the dish, add a small ball of tamarind while grinding. 
• Adding cashew is my mom's way of making hinga udda. This makes your curry creamy and rich and gives a little sweetness, making your sauce tastier. 

FAQ

Recipe card

For more recent updates, follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. 

***Click below to save it on Pinterest***