This is NOT just a recipe, it’s a Family Heirloom passed down the generations and cooked with great relish by my mother-in-law and her mum who is now 82 years old and still can stir up some to-die-for finger-licking dishes!
But before I start off rattling the ingredient list, a ”slice” of some history about the origin of this rice and prawn union. Coastal cuisine in the western Indian state of Maharashtra relished by the Maharashtrian community relies heavily on the use of all versions of the coconut, the most potent form being as part of the Goda masala. This and of course, the abundant availability of fresh seafood has given birth to many delicacies many of which are age-old like this dish.
It’s also my prized comfort food and guarantees a great Sunday afternoon nap 🙂 and will ensure you are crowned kitchen queen and master chef of all things nice hehehehe
Ok here goes, the ingredient list – This dish serves 2 adults for 2 meals with 2 generous helpings each and leftovers for the next day.
Prawn Khichadi (Pulav/Pilaf/Poolav)
Equipment
- 1 Big Sauce Pan
- 1 Mixer / Blender / Hand-blender
- 1 Knife
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Chopping Board
Ingredients
- 500 gm Prawns
- 2.5 Cup Rice
- 3 Bay leaves
- Goda Masala
- Tumeric Powder
- Red Chilli powder
- 1/2 Lime
- Oil
- Salt to taste
- Ginger and Garlic Paste
- Wet grated coconut
- 2 Red onions finely sliced
- 1 thumb-sized piece Cinnamon (Dalchini)
- 3 Cloves
- Green Masala
Instructions
- On a pan on low heat sauté one finely chopped onionand the fresh wet grated coconut till the onions starts to caramelise, afterthis cools give it a spin in the mixer and make a fine paste.
- Marinate the washed rice in some the above wetgrated coconut and onion paste, some goda masala , a squeeze of half of alime, salt, ginger and garlic paste and some Cinnamon. Set aside.
- De-vein the prawns, wash under tap water andmarinate with red chilli powder, turmeric and green masala.
- Take oil in a vessel and sauté the marinated prawnsfor 1-2 minutes.
- Heat Oil in a vessel big enough to cook the riceand prawns together that will hold the water as well , add the cloves,remaining cinnamon and one very finely chopped red onion, add the marinatedrice and stir it , do this on a low flame.
- Then add the marinated prawnsand water, for rice dishes water is always double the measure of the rice usedso for 2.5 cup measures of rice use 5 cups of water.
- Cover and cook on a low flame.
- Serve piping hot with a side of cooling curd, you can also serve with your favourite pickle. I generally serve this with a spicy Curry.
How to make Green Masala
Green Masala – Use a bunch of coriander and two green chillies and give them a spin in the mixer, store this fine paste in the freezer and use it as and when needed, it’s one of the most basic marination masalas in most Maharashtrian non-veg dishes, especially seafood.
Spicy Curry
In a pan heat some oil and add asafoetida one pinch, add puree of 2-3 large red onions and one tomato and puree of 1 handful of wet grated coconut, season with red chilli powder, turmeric, salt, green masala, Goda masala and cook on a low flame with enough water to ensure a thick curry, Amp up the red chilli powder and green masala to your level of tolerance of spicy food!
Do let me know via comments if any of you made this dish and what you thought of the recipe!
P.S: Forgive the poor image quality, I have a Simple Canon Camera which I am unable to use too well and add to that the total lack of any photography skills but well the food tasted awesome :), that’s what counts right, hehe!
Update in 2013
A few days after I published this recipe, ‘A’ gifted me my first DSLR Camera – a shiny new Canon 600DS and I’ve been clicking away like a happy bunny ever since 🙂
To my absolute delight, he helped me add a new lens to my kit and gifted me a 50mm f 1.8 lens this year on my birthday. It is great for close-up food shots and true to the reviews, it works well in low light conditions.
Here’s an example:
The image below is from my kit lens where am struggling to fit everything in frame and focus on the prawns, I have sharpened the image, adjusted light and cropped it using Picasa 3.
Now see the difference in the image below, I love how the prawns are in sharp focus and how am able to easily adjust and fit everything in the viewfinder.I have adjusted light and sharpened the image very slightly, I am truly pleased with the results 🙂
Can khichadi get better than this? I would love to eat it every day!!!!
Hey @Runnergirlinthekitchen, Thanks for your lovely compliment and thanks for stopping by :),xx
Aww! I’m so much maharashtrian at heart ! The prawn khichadi sounds absolutely fantastic . Love the ‘mood elevating’ shots as well. How about adding sweet dumplings( Ukdiche modak) to go along with this spicey treat 🙂 slurp!!
Thanks Pallu for ur lovely comment and stopping by , next week more Maharashtrain Fare coming up !