Panic Attack...!

So this fine Sunday morning  I rose to a bright sunshine, nice and chilly…I wanted to get buried inside my soft quilt and there came the zor ka jhatka jo dheere se nahi zor se hi laga!

So jhatka no. 1- Uma Aunty is coming to Bombay. Yeah yeah I know Atithi devo bhavah and all that but hello! She is a food connoisseur, owns a mallu restaurant in Trichi. And jhatka is not over yet, she wants to eat mere haath ka authentic mallu khana. Brrr…!! The only word that comes my mind is Khalaas!

Jhatka no. 2- She is reaching by 12 noon and is going to have lunch with us. Now what comes to mind is “Waat lagli!”

The clock started ticking, it was 10 and I had to get ready and get my food also ready. But what do I make…? Big Question Boss…!! Perfect honeko mangta…! So dimaag ki ghanti baji and I rushed to the sea food store, picked up fresh prawns and the dish I decided to make was Iggaru Royya, a classic mallu prawn dish.

The bell rang and I was garnishing my casserole. Uma Aunty’s first step in the house and she shouts out…wow that’s iggaru royya…now that’s a veteran talking!

Lunch happened, I got my share of compliments…but now you guys hurry up catch the recipe and invite me for a gourmet meal!!

IGGARU ROYYA

INGREDIENTS

(4 portions)

Prawns-36 medium

Black peppercorns-10-12

Cumin seeds-1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds-1/2tsp

Dried red chilies, broken-8

Coconut scraped-1 cup

Oil-5tbsps

Onions, chopped-2 medium

Curry leaves-10-12

Ginger paste- 2tsp

Garlic paste-2tsp

Tomatoes, chopped-2 medium

Salt, to taste

Fresh coriander, chopped-2 tbsp

METHOD

1.       Dry roast peppercorns, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, dried red chilies, scrapped coconut till its golden brown. Make a paste out of this mixture.

2.       Heat some oil in a pan, sauté the onions along with some curry leaves. Add the ginger and garlic paste, fry for some time. Now add the tomatoes and cook for a while. Add the masala paste to this mixture and cook for a while.

3.       Add the prawns, some salt and let it cook in the masala.

4.       Finally garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot.

Special Notes-

1.       The key to judge whether your masala is cooked enough is, it will release fat once cooked.

2.       You can add finely chopped tomatoes for a thick masala aur add tomato puree for a gravy.

3.       Chose your chili as per your pallet, you can use the chili with colour and less heat or you can mix tikha and lal to give colour as well as heat to your gravy.

4.       Keep adding little amounts of water if you feel the consistency is too thick as per your tastes.

5.       The moment the prawns turn white, it is an indication that they are cooked to perfection.

6.       Remember to clean sea food aptly, wrt prawns its essential to clear the vein that runs in the centre.

7.       Lastly, serve the dish piping hot with some plain rice and share it with your beautiful family and friends.

Cheers! Bon appetite!