Among the stars at a concert, what truly sizzled was this prawn fry

It was in 2001; as we got ready for the great star night show we were putting together for the first time in Puducherry, our energies were all tuned towards organising the best of arrangements and food for our performing stars. Every known singer and musician of the southern film industry was there, starting from Gangai Amaran, SP Balasubrahmanyam, Mano, SP Sailaja, SPB Charan and Venkat Prabhu among others. 

Ranjitha, Revathi, Anandraj, Sathyaraj and various other models and celebrities were present as well. The show was at Kamban Kalai Arangam and I, being the organiser, had to make sure that every little detail was perfect. It was certainly an evening to remember — SPB Charan, Venkat Prabhu and Premgi Amaren were very young, enthusiastic and talented, and they played rock music and sang too. 

The stars performed, fashion houses exhibited their latest creations in a musical fashion show and SPB and Gangai Amaran had the audience spell-bound with their performance.  They all loved Puducherry for its ambience and energy. 

The evening was a spectacular success and the dinner to follow was the best of the union territory’s cuisine. Anandraj, a native ‘Puducherrian’, wanted them to taste the best of the seafood and Asha Gupta, who helped us arrange the dinner at Sea Gulls on the beach, did not disappoint us. All the stars were really longing to taste the delicacies prepared from the fresh catch. Spicy coriander prawns or pachchai mizhagai varutha yera turned out to be everybody’s favourite.

 This seafood dish is a famous preparation from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Known for its flavourful spic-es, this yera varuval or the prawn fry recipe has stayed true to its origins all these years. Being a heritage dish, I trust it will be relished whenever it is cooked, anywhere around the world.

Prep Time: 15 mins 

Cook Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 30 mins 

Calories: 270cl per serving

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

Prawns, shelled and  de-veined: 500gms 

Coconut or groundnut oil: 2.5 tbsp 

Curry leaves: 1 sprig

Fresh ginger-garlic paste: 3.5 tsp

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Coriander seeds: 1 tsp

Black pepper corns: 1 tbsp

Fennel seeds (sombu/saunf): 1tsp

Red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp

Lime juice: 1 tbsp

Cinnamon, clove, star anise, cardamom green and black (roasted and powdered): 1 /2 tsp

Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp 

Fresh coriander, finely chopped: 1/4 cup

Green chillies, finely chopped: 1 

Salt: to taste

Method:

Clean the prawn thoroughly and marinate in a little salt, ¼ spoon turmeric, ¼ spoon pepper powder and ½ spoon lime juice. 

Lightly dry roast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, black pepper corns, fennel seeds and make it to a fine powder in a dry grinder.

Dry roast cinnamon, star anise, cloves, cardamom green and black [1 each] and grind into powder in a dry grinder

Heat oil in a non-stick pan and add curry leaves.

Now, add the ginger-garlic paste and fry on low heat till it changes colour.

Throw in the prawns and sauté for one minute.

Toss in the ground spice powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, salt and mix it well.

If necessary, add some water to prevent the masala from getting burnt.

Sauté on low flame, making sure prawns are not overcooked as it will become hard.

Cooking time for prawns should not be more than eight minutes.

Switch off the flame and serve hot with coriander and green chillies strewn on it.

Buy medium-sized prawns and clean them well before cooking 

Iced or frozen prawns will not taste as good as fresh ones. If you need to freeze them, clean, marinate and then freeze

When you add lime juice the prawns will get slightly soft, so don’t be too generous while marinating