Kitchen Experiments: Sizzling Prawns

Sorry people, for not blogging regularly anymore- but my new job’s started- and what with a 6-day week, I have very little time to myself!
This is a recipe I’d cooked a while ago (right on the heels of Prawn Rice, with the remaining prawns! :P) and finally I am sharing it with you!
It is quick, easy and delicious – and makes a great starter/sandwich stuffing/accompaniment to a roti.
So here I present to you – Mrs B.N.’s Sizzling Prawns!
Sizzling because that’s how hot and crisp they are when you dish them out from the pan – and also because of their gorgeous fresh-and-zingy taste!
(Mrs. B.N. hasn’t christened this dish, I have, so, if yours don’t turn out to be as sizzling as I described, lay the brickbats at my door and if they do, please deliver the bouquets at her door!)

Ingredients: (Am not giving any measures, because there are few ingredients and all are to be taken by eye or as per your taste and appetite!)

Prawns – shelled, and de-veined
Coriander (Cilantro) leaves
Mint leaves
Green chillies
Ginger
Garlic
Salt
Rice Flour (I guess you can use cornflour if you don’t have rice flour)
Any vegetable oil (avoid strongly flavoured ones like mustard oil, because while the prawns can hold their flavour against the onslaught of mustard, the delicately fragrant coriander and mint can’t; and we want the dish to be fresh and zesty, not a powerpunch of mustard)
Lemon/Lime wedges (as an accompaniment)



Pound/Grind all the ingredients except the prawns, rice flour ad lemon to a smooth paste. Do NOT add any water while making the paste – this is very important!

Rub this paste onto the prawns and let them marinate for half an hour.

Add the rice flour (or corn flour) teaspoon by teaspoon till it absorbs all the water the prawns have released and a sticky paste-like mixture is formed. Avoid using too much flour as the dish gets very doughy otherwise.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok or a frying pan and spread it all round the pan. Once hot, add the prawns to the pan, preferably to make a layer (don’t just tip them in pell-mell) all across the pan, leaving some space between the prawns for turning them over. Like cooking mini-pancakes on a griddle.

Cook on high heat till the prawns are golden brown on one side. Turn them all over, one at a time and cook on the other side till golden too.

(All of this careful cooking-turning-cooking is needed if you’re rationing the amount of oil used. You can go the whole hog and deep fry the prawns for maximum crunch without having to be all careful and slow)

Remove from the pan – ideally, the prawns would be semi-covered with a crispy, crunchy batter cover and the kitchen (or the whole house) would be redolent with the aroma of prawns and herbs.

Serve with a squeeze of lemon/lime juice and some finely sliced onions on the side.

Enjoy!!