I should have made and shared this Kerala style raw mango prawn curry long back given my irresistible love for prawns! This is the best summer dish I could have ever asked for!
Indian summers are hot! Scorching hot! And that’s exactly what most parts of India is going through currently! Super strong sun with blazing heat!
But if there is one thing that’s best about Indian summers then that’s the availability of mangoes, the king of fruits! We Indians are crazy about mangoes and why shouldn’t we!
Mangoes are available in so many shapes, varieties and types that you can’t taste all in a single season! Then there are raw mangoes and ripe mangoes! Options are simply endless!
I have already shared many mango recipes here using either ripe or raw mangoes and all of them became supremely popular which shows our undying love for this summer fruit!
Today’s recipe of raw mango prawn curry is made with raw mango and is a dish for your main course! Being an avid prawn as well as mango lover, this recipe gives me the best of both worlds!
I earnestly urge you to not miss making this summer special prawn curry this summer season as I can guarantee you will love it as much as we did!
What is raw mango prawn curry?
I discovered this raw mango prawn curry while searching for raw mango chicken curry! And thank God I did!
This tangy prawn curry is a traditional recipe from the coastal state of Kerala and boasts all the heavenly goodness of classic Keralian cuisine – seafood, coconut and of course mango!
The gravy of this raw mango prawn curry is so addictive that you will polish it off in just no time and I can vouch for that! The silky smooth gravy made of creamy coconut milk is irresistibly tasty!
Being a prawn lover, this curry became another staple of mine in my meal plans! This is healthy, tasty and cooks very fast! What more do you want to maintain a healthy eating habit?
Ingredients for raw mango prawn curry
Raw Mango: The star of the show! This recipe of raw mango prawn curry is not about prawns but mainly about the raw mangoes!
With the abundance of raw mangoes during summer in India, you ought to make this tangy curry which will not only help to beat the heat but also will make you unbelievably happy!
You can use any raw mango that you get easily in your local market; just make sure that the mango you are using is actually raw, not even semi-ripe.
Also, some varieties of raw mangoes are tangier than others; you can taste a raw piece and adjust the quantity of mango to be added to the curry based on the intensity of its tanginess.
Typically you will need about a cup of cut raw mango pieces; but the one I was using was very sour, so I just used three-fourth of it.
Prawns: Next comes the second key ingredient which is also the love of my life – prawns! Kerala being a coastal state, is big on seafood and prawn is the most loved one universally!
Use medium or even jumbo prawns in this raw mango prawn curry. We won’t fry the prawns here but will stew them in the coconut milk based gravy until they are cooked through.
Once simmered and cooked in the coconut milk gravy, the prawns take up a soft, almost melt-in-mouth texture which will keep lingering in your taste buds long after your meal!
Coconut milk: To complement the tanginess of raw mango, a sweetening element is added in this traditional dish which is nothing but thick coconut milk which will also make the base of this gravy.
Kerala being a big producer of coconut, their cuisine is significantly dominated by coconut and its byproducts which is coconut milk in this case that beautifully balances the sourness of raw mango.
For us, coconut milk is a magic ingredient as any dish tastes much better when coconut milk is added to it!
Shallots: This is a unique ingredient in this traditional Kerala style raw mango prawn curry! Shallot may be a cousin sister of onions but it indeed has its own character.
So do not substitute shallots with regular onions if you really want to make the real deal!
Curry Leaves: These fragrant leaves are added to this prawn curry twice – once while frying the shallots with aromatics and also in the tadka mixture added to the curry at the very end.
Aromatics: Finely chopped ginger and garlic are sautéed in the oil at the very beginning of this curry recipe and this ensures that this curry is incredibly infused with the flavors of these 2 quintessential aromatics!
Fresh chilli: This dish is a mind-blowing combination of tang, sweet and heat and the last element is delivered by fresh & hot green chillies; use as much or as little as you prefer.
Oil: I used coconut oil as Keralian food is beautifully complemented by this flavorful oil. If you don’t like coconut oil, you may use any other flavorless oil.
Spices: This Kerala prawn curry is not overpowered with too much spices – just a dash of turmeric powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder will do the trick!
Dry red chilli: This one adds really tempting flavors when added to oil for preparing the tadka which is then poured over the raw mango prawn curry at the very end giving it the royal finishing touch!
Salt: Season your raw mango prawn curry nicely with salt as tangy dishes require a little more salt than average to bring out that enticing taste of the sour element which is raw mango in this case!
How to make raw mango prawn curry?
Step 1: Peel and devein the prawns. Also remove the heads. Wash them thoroughly and set aside until needed.
Step 2: Finely chop the ginger, garlic cloves and green chillies. Thinly slice the shallots. Peel the raw mango and cut out the flesh from both sides. Then cut each side into thin slices.
Step 3: Now start cooking by heating oil in a kadai or wok. Once the oil is hot, reduce flame and add chopped ginger, garlic and chillies. Sauté the aromatics for a minute or two.
Step 4: Then add ¾ of the sliced shallots and the fresh curry leaves to the kadai. Sauté the shallots on medium flame for about 10 minutes until they turn golden brown.
Step 5: After about 10 minutes, add the powdered spices – turmeric, coriander and red chilli. Add a couple splashes of water and cook the spices on medium-low heat until oil starts to release, about 3 minutes.
Step 6: Next lower the flame to minimum and add the thick coconut milk; give a good stir. Let the liquid come to a boil.
Step 7: Once the coconut milk starts simmering, add the raw mango pieces and salt to taste. Give a nice stir to evenly distribute mango pieces.
Step 8: Let the raw mango cook for a while and become a little tender. Also the gravy would have thickened by now. Add about a cup of water and bring it to boil.
Step 9: Once the gravy starts to boil again, add the washed prawns and let them simmer in the gravy. Cover the kadai and leave it on low flame for 5 minutes.
Pro tip: Prawns cook very fast, so do not overcook them.
Step 10: Uncover the pan and check the consistency of the gravy; if it’s too thick, adjust it by adding a little more water.
Step 11: Taste and adjust the seasoning at this stage. Switch off the flame and leave the raw mango prawn curry on the stove top while you prepare the tadka.
Step 12: In a small frying pan, heat two tablespoons of oil and add a handful of curry leaves and a couple of dry red chillies broken into two pieces. Let them become fragrant for a few seconds.
Step 13: Then add the remaining sliced shallots to the frying pan. Fry the shallots in oil for 4 to 5 minutes on medium high heat until it becomes crispy & golden.
Step 14: Switch off the flame. Now pour this prepared tadka mixture over the raw mango prawn curry that is resting in your kadai on the stovetop. Give a final mix!
Step 15: Your delicious raw mango prawn curry is ready! Serve it warm with plain white rice and enjoy Indian summer!
More delicious prawn curries from Flavor Quotient
- 15-Minutes Garlic Prawn Udon Noodles
- Best Ever High Protein Prawn Fried Rice
- Spicy Grilled Prawns with Indian Spices
- Prawns - 250 gms, peeled
- Raw mango - 1, small
- Thick coconut milk - 1 cup/250 ml
- Shallots - 150 gms, thinly sliced
- Ginger - 2-inch piece, finely chopped
- Garlic - 8 to 10 cloves, finely chopped
- Green chilli - 3 to 4, finely chopped
- Curry leaves - 4 sprigs
- Coconut oil - 4 to 6 tablespoons
- Dry red chilli - 2
- Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
- Coriander powder - 1 tsp
- Red chilli powder - ½ tsp
- Salt to taste
- Peel and devein the prawns. Also remove the heads. Wash them thoroughly and set aside until needed.
- Finely chop the ginger, garlic cloves and green chillies. Thinly slice the shallots. Peel the raw mango and cut out the flesh from both sides. Then cut each side into thin slices.
- Now start cooking by heating oil in a kadai or wok. Once the oil is hot, reduce flame and add chopped ginger, garlic and chillies. Sauté the aromatics for a minute or two.
- Then add ¾ of the sliced shallots and the fresh curry leaves to the kadai. Sauté the shallots on medium flame for about 10 minutes until they turn golden brown.
- After about 10 minutes, add the powdered spices - turmeric, coriander and red chilli. Add a couple splashes of water and cook the spices on medium-low heat until oil starts to release, about 3 minutes.
- Next lower the flame to minimum and add the thick coconut milk; give a good stir. Let the liquid come to a boil.
- Once the coconut milk starts simmering, add the raw mango pieces and salt to taste. Give a nice stir to evenly distribute mango pieces.
- Let the raw mango cook for a while and become a little tender. Also the gravy would have thickened by now. Add about a cup of water and bring it to boil.
- Once the gravy starts to boil again, add the washed prawns and let them simmer in the gravy. Cover the kadai and leave it on low flame for 5 minutes.
- Uncover the pan and check the consistency of the gravy; if it’s too thick, adjust it by adding a little more water.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning at this stage. Switch off the flame and leave the raw mango prawn curry on the stove top while you prepare the tadka.
- In a small frying pan, heat two tablespoons of oil and add a handful of curry leaves and a couple of dry red chillies broken into two pieces. Let them become fragrant for a few seconds.
- Then add the remaining sliced shallots to the frying pan. Fry the shallots in oil for 4 to 5 minutes on medium high heat until it becomes crispy & golden.
- Switch off the flame. Now pour this prepared tadka mixture over the raw mango prawn curry that is resting in your kadai on the stovetop. Give a final mix!
- Your delicious raw mango prawn curry is ready! Serve it warm with plain white rice and enjoy Indian summer!
You may also like:
Asian Seafood Curry in Creamy Coconut Milk | Shrimp and Basa Curry in Coconut Milk
Chingri Malaikari | Chingri Malai Curry | Bengali Prawn Curry In Coconut Milk
Best Ever Vegan Mango Sago | Summer Special Mango Sago with Coconut Milk
Thai Prawn Massaman Curry | Easy Massaman Curry Recipe With Shrimps
Thai Prawn Red Curry | Thai Red Curry with Shrimp
Thai Mango Salad | Summer Special Raw Mango Salad Recipe
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