Fragrant Pakistani prawn curry recipe: a quick and easy lunch

This curry satisfies the soul. It works beautifully with garlic rice and is equally delicious with crusty sourdough.

Prawn karahi. Picture: Alicia Taylor

Early in my life I learned that recipes don’t need to be written. Like storytelling, they guide you through an unfamiliar terrain – and, like all good stories, they evolve with each storyteller’s instinct and imagination, and cease to exist if not shared.

This prawn curry is based on my maternal grandmother’s recipe. It is best made with fresh raw prawns rather than already cooked ones, and works beautifully with garlic rice. It’s equally delicious with sourdough as a quick and easy lunch.

Some other delicious recipes you may love:

• Lamb meatballs with an unexpected twist
• A rich, slow-cooked sweet potato soup
• Undeniably delicious pineapple upside-down cake

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RECIPE: Grandma’s prawn karahi

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons ghee (or 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon sunflower oil)
• 1 heaped teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon nigella seeds
• ½ teaspoon carom seeds, optional
• 1cm ginger, finely grated
• 4 large ripe tomatoes, coarsely grated, skins discarded
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder (or other chilli powder or paprika)
• Salt, to taste
• 450g shelled, deveined fresh raw prawns

To garnish

• Juice of ½ lemon
• 2.5cm ginger, cut into fine strips
• 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
• 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

Method

1. Place a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat and add the ghee. When it is hot, add the cumin, nigella and carom seeds (if using) and fry until fragrant; this should take about 1 minute.
2. Next add the ginger and fry for 10-15 seconds, until fragrant, then stir in the tomatoes. Lower the heat slightly, add a splash of water and keep stirring until it starts to simmer. Add the tomato paste, turmeric, chilli powder and salt.
3. Keep cooking until the sauce thickens and the oil begins to rise to the surface, about 7-9 minutes. Once this happens, add the prawns and cook, stirring, until the prawns turn pink, about 3-4 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the prawns, or they will go rubbery.
4. Turn the heat off, add the garnishes and cover, leaving to infuse for a minute or so before serving. Serves 4

Sumayya Usmani. Picture: James Melia Studio

Andaza by Sumayya Usmani.

Edited extract from Andaza: A memoir of food, flavour and freedom in the Pakistani kitchen by Sumayya Usmani.