Mangalorean Bafat Prawn Roast

Gird up those tastebuds, because I am posting a recipe that will make your palate sing(e).

Ocasionally, when the weather is cold and snowy outside, I get the urge to make a dish that is unapologetically fiery and kick ass spicy. The kind of dish that we Indians are known for, but rarely make outside the confines of our own homes. A dish that makes no concessions for delicate palates. There is nothing subtle about this 'prawn roast'. Its hot, tangy, spicy and packs a powerful punch of flavour that makes no bones about its origin.

The 'roast' in the title is not what people in the Western world would consider a roast - in that it is not 'roasted' in an oven. It means to fry quickly in oil or ghee. This corruption of the word has probably come from the fact that not a lot of Indian households had ovens, and so they 'roasted' these ingredients on a hot pan, instead. I could have probably called it a prawn fry or a prawn masala instead, but I felt that it would take away from the origins of this dish.

This is an original recipe, in the sense that I made it with the ingredients I had available in the fridge, and using my own quantities of spices, rather than my mum's prawn masala recipe. Its loosely based on the famous Mangalorean dish 'ghee roast', but the method and ingredients are a little different. In many ways it has more in common with Kerala style prawn fry, especially with the flavour of curry leaves. But the addition of vinegar though, is more characteristic of Mangalore and coastal India.

I never post a recipe unless I am very confident that its a great one. The first time I made this prawn roast, I didn't really think it worked very well. Something about the spicing was off. So I decided not to blog that recipe. Then a few weeks later, I decided to give it another go, and I am glad I did. I tweaked the spices and quantities around a bit, and broke a sort of unwritten rule about curry leaves and fresh coriander, and added both. I think that the fresh coriander really lifted the dish, and it was absolutely delightful the second time round, and so I am sharing it now.

As a child, I was lucky enough to grow up by the coast. The west coast of India is the coast of the Arabian sea, and we had our pick of fresh seafood, most of which was caught on the day. A little known fact about seafood is that its seasonal as well. The kind of fish that one can get on the coast, for example, depends on many factors, including the kind of spawning happening, and even based on whether there is a waxing or waning moon. River fish is also caught, but the majority of seafood we bought was from the sea. My dad would ride down to the bunder (docks) and bargain hard for the freshest of fish, prawns, squid or crabs. He would then triumphantly return with his bounty, and we would have fresh seafood for dinner that evening. There was no prepackaged, cleaned or sanitised fish available. So even as kids, we were experts in cleaning and gutting a fish (a skill I have carefull hidden from Kay, hehe, I don't want him to expect me to clean the fish he catches!) We would also devein and clean prawns, and many a weekend afternoon, this was our chore, as mum cleaned and froze fish to use during the week.

I am lucky I don't have to do all this from-scratch preparation anymore, and frozen raw prawns from the supermarket are a convenience I have gotten used to very quickly. But I still relish the taste of seafood, particularly one in a spicy-tangy-hot curry, as we used to have it. The flavours in this dish are very Mangalorean. I like to serve this dish fairly dry, with a lemon half to squeeze over it. But if you fancy a sauce, then add a little hot stock or water to make a curry sauce. This dish is best served with plain, steamed rice, but you can also try it with a roti or naan for a North Indian-Coastal Indian fusion meal. Like I mentioned in the beginning of the post, this dish is very spicy. If you want to mellow the spice, don't use the green chilly and reduce the bafat powder to 1 tsp.

You can find the recipe for bafat powder or spice mix here. I'll add a bit more of an introduction to it soon, but essentially its a traditional Mangalorean/ Goan spice mix, that we use for practically everything. Its rare to make your own, but when you live far away you don't really have an option do you? I came up with my recipe by smell and taste, like I always so, so its an interpretative recipe, and can be tweaked to suit your taste as well.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. For me, its a taste of an idyllic childhood that I always cherish.

Recipe:
(Printable Recipe)

Prawns and marinade:

400g prawns
Juice of half a lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tbsp oil or ghee

Rest of the dish:

1 tablespoon oil or ghee
1 sprig of curry leaves (around 5 - 7 leaves)
1/2 medium onion, diced fine
4 flakes garlic, grated to a paste
1 inch ginger, grated to a paste
1 green chilly, chopped fine
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp bafat powder, or spice mix
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tsp red wine vinegar
Salt to taste
Fresh chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

Clean and devein the prawns, and peel, leaving the tail on.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, salt and turmeric. Rub this marinade into the prawns and marinate for about 4 hours.

Once the prawns are marinated, drain them well, reserving any drained liquid.

Heat the 1/2 tablespoon oil in a heavy pan on a high heat, and toss in the prawns. Quickly stir fry until they are just opaque. Take off heat, and keep aside.

To make the sauce, heat the 1 tablespoon of oil or ghee in a pan. Add the curry leaves and saute for 30 seconds.

Add the diced onion, and fry for about 5 - 7 minutes, until the onion is soft and just beginning to colour.

Add the garlic, ginger and chilli to the onion, and saute for another minute.

Add the chopped tomatoes, bafat powder, garam masala and turmeric, and fry together for about 5 - 10 minutes, until the masala starts to come together in a gooey mass.

Add the reserved drained liquid from the prawns and the red wine vinegar. Cook for about 5 more minutes. Season to taste with the salt.

Fold in the fried prawns, and take off the heat. Let the prawn roast cool for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with the chopped coriander.

This dish is very spicy, but it will mellow a little if you leave it in the fridge overnight. This helps the prawns absorb the flavour. Reheat very quickly, as you don't want to overcook the prawns.

Quickly fried prawns