Prawns curry | Prawns recipe | Naadan Chemmeen curry

This is an easy and delicious prawns curry, seasoned with roasted coconut bits and flavored with aromatic fennel. It is perfect for a quick lunch or dinner on busy weekdays.

I made this curry using flavorful Indian spices. It takes around half an hour or so to make this simple but tasty curry. You can easily find these spices in your local Indian grocery store.

We love all things ‘fish’ in my home. And that includes prawns as well. I usually buy fresh prawns from the local fish market.

The only part that I don’t quite enjoy is the cleaning and deveining of the prawns. You have to be so patient with that process, right?

Which is why I try to find ways to make a tasty curry with prawns, as quick as I can.

Variations of the prawns curry:

At home, we usually make prawns in a coconut based gravy. At times, we use prawns to make a spicy and sour red curry with tamarind. Yumm!

You can try making a green coconut gravy using aromatic coriander and mint leaves too.

I plan to make a flavorful prawns curry using coconut milk too, as soon as I get some fresh prawns! Fresh coconut milk really adds flavor to any curry for that matter. Just try it!

How I made this prawns curry:

First, I marinated the prawns for about an hour. Then, I sautéed ginger, garlic, onions and tomato. I also added powdered spices to it. After that, I made a paste of it with a little water. I made a tempering of mustard seeds and roasted coconut bits, to be added to the paste.

Then, I added in the prawns into the curry, and cooked for just about 4 minutes. This keeps the prawns moist and juicy. Overcooking the prawns, will make it rubbery.

Finally, I sprinkled some fennel seeds powder over it. That is the real taste maker here! Balance it with some pepper powder for the spice, and adjust the salt. And your delicious curry is ready.

It is always better to use fresh curry leaves for this recipe, for an authentic flavor. I did not have them on hand for this recipe. So, I substituted this with dried curry leaves powder. However, I noticed that it did not compromise on the taste.

What you can have it with:

I had this curry with hot chapatti (an Indian flatbread made out of wheat). You can have it with hot steamed rice or even breads if you like!

I served it as a side for brown rice at home. For this, a spiced Buttermilk curry (Moru Kachiyathu) is a good combination.

You can also make it with to go along with some quick veggie stir fry and rice. For a traditional South Indian food experience, I suggest these healthy stir fries (it is very common in my household and the kids love it too):

Cabbage Stir fry (Thoran) – Simple everyday dish that uses freshly grated coconut.

Long Beans Stir fry (Achinga Mezhukupuratti) – Coconut pieces make this stir fry tasty.

Ladies Finger (Okra fry) – This is a simple recipe that uses less oil, and can be made for weeknights very easily.

Raw Banana fry (Pacha kaya Mezhukupuratti) – Cooked Raw banana fry that is tempered with sweet fennel seeds, shallots and aromatic curry leaves.

Do try this recipe and share your experience with me, by commenting below. Also, do share with me the traditional way of making prawns at your home. I would love to know!

If you like my recipes, please do share it with your family members and friends too. If you need any additional information about these recipes, please get in touch with me in the comments section below.

Thanks 🙂