South o' the Border Prawn Masala
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 169
- Total Fat
- 9
- Saturated Fat
- 3
- Carbohydrates
- 10
- Dietary Fiber
- 3
- Sugar
- 4
- Protein
- 12
- Cholesterol
- 109
- Sodium
- 512
- Total: 1 hr 10 min
- Prep: 20 min
- Cook: 50 min
Ingredients
1 pound large head-on prawns, shelled, deveined, heads and shells reserved
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 small jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
2 dried arbol chile, stemmed
1 dried ancho chile, stemmed
1 (14-ounce) can peeled tomatoes in juice, drained, liquid reserved
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Naan bread, for serving
Directions
- Remove the prawn heads. In a medium saucepot, bring the prawn heads, shells and 5 cups of water to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- While the vegetables cook, break the arbol chiles and ancho chile into pieces (remove the seeds, if you prefer less heat and spice), then grind in a spice grinder to a fine powder. Set aside.
- Crush the tomatoes with your hands.
- Add the turmeric, garam masala, and 2 teaspoons of the ground chile powder to the skillet. Reserve the remaining chile powder for another use. Saute the mixture for 30 seconds, then add the crushed tomatoes and 1/4 cup of the reserved tomato juice. Cook the mixture, stirring, until thickened and most of liquid is cooked out.
- Strain the prawn shells from the water and discard the shells. The water is now a prawn stock. Add 2 cups of the prawn stock to the tomato mixture and bring the mixture to a simmer. The remaining prawn stock can be cooled and frozen for future use. Simmer the tomato mixture, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
- Add the prawns to the skillet and cook, stirring gently, until just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, then add the heavy cream and fresh dill. Let the mixture simmer, for 2 minutes more, stirring gently. Season with salt, and pepper, to taste. Serve the masala with warm naan.
Cook’s Note
This sweetens the tomatoes and helps bring all the flavors together.