A wonderful Sri Lankan-style curry made with shrimp and coconut.
This shrimp curry dish combines thick coconut milk, a few aromatic spices,
tempered ingredients which have been cooked into a curry paste to create
a superb seafood curry that combines well with just about everything.
Flavours in shrimp coconut curry.
The shrimp curry carries very mild flavours of the curry powders and spices used in most Sri Lankan cooking.
The level of spiciness of the shrimp curry can be increased or decreased by adjusting the amount of red chilli powder and black pepper you use.
The gravy for the prawn curry is made first and then the prawns are added.
It keeps the shrimp from overcooking and turning rubbery in texture.
The coconut milk used here to make the gravy sauce in which the shrimp(prawns)are immersed, gives this prawn recipe its creamy taste.
You can adjust the gravy to make it thick and sauce-like by adding thick coconut milk or a typical Sri Lankan curry gravy by adding slightly thinner coconut milk.
What to serve with shrimp coconut curry.
- You can create a simple meal by serving the shrimp/prawn curry recipe over a bed of rice or noodles, including instant ramen noodles.
- Basmati rice,
- coconut rice,
- ghee rice,
- Sri Lankan yellow rice or basic white rice cooked over a stovetop, are some rice recipes that pair well with the shrimp recipe.
- Combining it with your favourite pasta.
- Simply serve it with your favourite type of bread, naan, roti, or parathas with a simple healthy salad on the side.
- Here are a few vegetarian side dishes to serve with shrimp curry.
Tips to make the shrimp coconut curry.
- You can cook the following shrimp recipe to cook with the shells on as well.
- The wet spice you make at the beginning is what gives the Sri Lankan shrimp curry its taste. spend a few minutes tasting and adjusting as per your need.
- Using frozen shrimp.
- You can use frozen shrimp for this seafood curry recipe.
- Make sure the frozen shrimp reaches room temperature before you marinate and use it in this recipe.
- My post on how to clean shrimp and how to thaw shrimp might come in handy if you are using fresh shrimp from your supermarket or fish stall.
- Slow simmer until the coconut milk gravy has reached a thick consistency before you add the prawns/shrimp to the gravy.
- As mentioned earlier, this would allow the shrimp to avoid a slightly rubbery texture from overcooking.
More shrimp curry recipes to try.
Malabar shrimp curry(prawn curry).
Shrimp tikka masala(prawn tikka)
The first step of cooking the curry shrimp is to temper the ingredients and make a wet curry paste.
The tempering ingredients-
Curry leaves, lemongrass and ginger-garlic paste and onions are first tempered in oil.
The curry powders used in the prawn recipe.
The curry powders used to make the shrimp curry recipe is basic and easy to find at any of your local stores.
They consist of red chillie powder, turmeric and Sri Lankan raw(unroasted)curry powder.
Then thick coconut milk is added to make the thick coconut milk gravy.
Slow-simmer the thick coconut gravy.
And gradually add the cleaned and deveined prawns to the thick coconut cream gravy.
Taste and season with salt. to give a mildly sweet flavour add a teaspoon of sugar(optional).
prawn in coconut gravy (Sri Lankan)
A tasty shrimp curry made with aromatic spices to flavor coconut curry gravy.
This shrimp curry carries very mild flavors of the curry powders and spices used in most Sri Lankan cooking.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of oil
- 1 Large onions sliced fine
- 1 tablespoon of minced garlic(3 cloves)
- 1 tablespoon of minced ginger(1-inch piece)
- 2 green chillies split into two
- 1 lemongrass slightly bruised
- 2-inch piece Cinnamon
- A sprig of curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 tablespoons of curry powder
- 1 tablespoon red chillie powder
- 1 and 1/2 a cup thick coconut milk
- 1 kg prawns cleaned and deveined
Instructions
- clean and devein the prawns, drain any excess water completely and place them in a bowl. season with salt and lime,
- cover and set aside until needed.
- Place a pan over low-medium fire and pour in the oil(2 tbs).
- Once the oil heats add the onions(1 large sliced), curry leaves(5-6), garlic(1 tbs)and ginger(1 tbs), lemongrass(1 bruised), cinnamon(1-inch), green chillies(2 split).
- Cook the above tempering ingredients for 3-5minutes over a low medium fire or until the onions turn soft.
- Add turmeric(1 tps), curry powder(2 tbs), red chilli powder(1 tbs)over low fire combine for 3 minutes to make a wet paste.
- Pour in the coconut milk(1 and 1/2 a cup), stir season with salt, and slow simmer for 30 minutes or until you have a thick gravy.
- Once the coconut milk gravy is thick(should reduce to 1/2 half of the liquid amount), add the prawns.
- Reduce fire and slow simmer for 20 minutes.
- Taste and adjust heat and seasoning as per your need. for a sweeter taste add sugar(1 tbs, optional)and serve with warm rice.
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