Tawa fried prawns and kokamachi kadhi are the ultimate comfort food for a malvani soul. However, variety is spice of life and hence, I decided to turn the comfort food around. I like eating fried prawns just by themselves, like a snack, while the father has to eat them with bhaat. So, this is what came out of my kitchen!
Ingredients:
15-20 prawns, thoroughly cleaned (if you have the tiny prawns, you could use about 3/4th cup)
2 tsp mint leaves, finely chopped
2-3 green chillies, finely chopped (I added about 4 since we all like our food hot)
2 tsp coriander, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
½ tbsp rice flour (fine semolina works too)
3 tbsp besan or gram flour
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp roasted cumin powder
Oil for frying
Method:
Rub the turmeric, salt and cumin powder into the prawns. Mix in the chillies, garlic, onion, coriander, mint leaves and cumin powder, making sure it has been spread evenly. Leave the mixture for about 10-15 minutes. Now add in the besan and rice flour and mix thoroughly. You don’t need to add water as such, because the onion and prawns will secrete moisture. But if the batter is too try add in a few drops of water. Make sure you don’t overdo the water. Heat oil in a pan. If you have medium sized prawns, pick a prawn individually and make sure it’s coated with the chunky batter and deep fry until red. If you have the tiny variety of prawns, just make bite-sized balls and drop them into the oil. Serve piping hot, straight off the kadhai!
Lazy tip: if you don’t have much time, just grind all the condiments to a paste and rub it into prawns. Finely chopped ingredients give the bhajji a full-bodied flavor. If you grind the masala to a paste, it is as good as marinating the prawns.
Healthy tip: you might laugh if I say a bhajji could be healthy, but, there is an option. Steam the prawns individually and then lightly stir fry them in ½ tsp of oil. Yes, it won’t taste the same, but it won’t make you feel guilty. Guilt vs gluttony, take a pick.
Variation 1: Chicken Bhajji. Leave the mixture aside for about half an hour before you add the flour.
Veggie variations: replace the prawn with paneer, cauliflower or aloo.
By the way, we fry all our fish in coconut oil. I personally love the flavor, but you could use any other oil.
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