If you've ever had ghee roast at a coastal Karnataka restaurant, you know it is the kind of dish that leaves an impression. It is spicy, rich, and packed with flavor from roasted spices and plenty of ghee. It has a beautiful and inviting red color.
While chicken ghee roast often gets most of the attention, prawn ghee roast is every bit as delicious. What I love about this recipe is how quickly it comes together. Shrimp cook in minutes, making this one of those dishes that feels special enough for guests but easy enough for a weeknight dinner.
Serve it with neer dosa, appam or even simple rice, and you are in for a treat. You will also love Goan shrimp curry, Mangalore Prawn Curry, Mangalore style Crab Curry,
Ingredient Breakdown
Prawns (Shrimp): I have used large shrimp here. Medium ones work as well. If you have frozen ones, thaw thoroughly before using.
Byadgi Red Chillies: These give the dish its beautiful deep red color and a gentle heat. If you like things spicier, add a couple of hotter chillies along with them.
Spice Mix: I have used coriander, cumin, fennel seeds and peppercorns as the dry spices. They are dry roasted before powdering.
Tamarind: Adds a tangy note that balances the richness of the ghee.
Ghee: This is not the recipe to be shy with ghee. It carries the flavor of the spices and gives the dish its characteristic richness. I have used 3 tbsp. ghee here. But you can go upto 6 tbsp. for even more richness.
Curry Leaves and Cashews: They are added to the masala for their signature flavor.
Instructions
Take the cleaned prawns and dry them well. In a bowl, combine the prawns with turmeric, salt and lemon juice. Mix well and set aside for about 10 minutes when you start preparing the spice mix for the ghee roast.
Heat a small pan over medium heat and dry roast the Byadgi/Kashmiri chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and peppercorns for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant.
If you don't have dry chillies, you can use ground Kashmiri chili powder in its places.
Allow the spices to cool slightly. Transfer them to a mixer jar along with the garlic, ginger and tamarind paste. Add a little water and grind into a thick, smooth paste with some salt.
Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a wide pan. Add in the vibrant red ghee roast paste and cook for about 4 minutes till the masala paste gets shiny and looks cooked. Add in the cashews and curry leaves and cook for a couple of minutes more.
Finally, add the marinated prawns and cook along with the ghee roast masala till fully cooked. It takes about 5-7 minutes. Will vary based on the size of the prawns.
The mixture will darken slightly and the ghee will begin separating around the edges. Add sugar/jaggery if using and mix well. I skip it. Taste and adjust salt.
Your Prawns ghee roast is ready to serve. Top up with one more tablespoon of ghee for a richer taste.
Serve hot.
Expert Tips
1. Don't overcook the prawns/shrimp. They cook very quickly and hence are only cooked at the end.
2. If you like more spice, you can add spicy chilli powder or cayenne as well.
3. If the masala becomes too thick while cooking, add a tablespoon or two of water for your desired consistency.
4. You can add other proteins like chicken, paneer, tofu or mushrooms while keeping the recipe same.
Ghee Roast Prawns (Shrimp)
Equipment
- 1 Pan
Ingredients
For the Shrimp
- 1 lb. shrimp or 500 gm. prawns, cleaned and deveined
- ½ tsp. turmeric powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
For the ghee roast masala
- 10 dried Byadgi or Kashmiri red chillies or 1.5 tbsp. Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1 tbsp. coriander seeds
- 1 tsp. cumin seeds
- 10 black peppercorns
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 inch ginger
- Salt to taste
- 1 tbsp. tamarind paste
- 3 tbsp. water as needed for grinding
For cooking
- 3 tbsp. ghee
- 15 curry leaves
- 1 tsp. Cashews
- ½ tsp. Sugar or jaggery optional
- Salt to taste
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Instructions
- Take the cleaned prawns and dry them well. In a bowl, combine the prawns with turmeric, salt and lemon juice. Mix well and set aside for about 10 minutes when you start preparing the spice mix for the ghee roast.
- Heat a small pan over medium heat and dry roast the Byadgi/Kashmiri chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and peppercorns for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant. If you don't have dry chillies, you can use ground Kashmiri chili powder in its places.
- Allow the spices to cool slightly. Transfer them to a mixer jar along with the garlic, ginger and tamarind paste. Add a little water and grind into a thick, smooth paste with some salt.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a wide pan. Add in the vibrant red ghee roast paste and cook for about 4 minutes till the masala paste gets shiny and looks cooked. Add in the cashews and curry leaves and cook for a couple of minutes more.
- Finally, add the marinated prawns and cook along with the ghee roast masala till fully cooked. It takes about 5-7 minutes. Will vary based on the size of the prawns.
- The mixture will darken slightly and the ghee will begin separating around the edges. Add sugar/jaggery if using and mix well. I skip it. Taste and adjust salt.
- Your Prawns ghee roast is ready to serve. Top up with one more tablespoon of ghee for a richer taste.
- Serve hot.
Rachna says
A favorite at my place and a really easy recipe too for shrimp lovers.