Prawn raita

By: Ragini Dey
From: Spice Kitchen
Serves: 4
Photographer: Jana Liebenstein

If you think raita is just a cooling salad, then think again. I certainly had to when a cousin sent me an intriguing menu that she recently served on an important birthday in Kolkata (Calcutta). Forget the humble cucumber, try adding fresh prawns (shrimp) instead. This recipe works just as well with fresh oysters, mussels, crab meat or, my personal favourite, fabulously sweet rock lobster (crayfish). Make a summer meal with steamed basmati or other long-grain rice and a leafy green salad.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
2 tablespoons	mustard oil
2	green chillies, slit to just below the stalk area, top and seeds left intact
1/2 teaspoon	Panch Phoron
250g	tiger or medium raw prawns, shelled and deveined
1 teaspoon	black mustard seeds, crushed
1/2 teaspoon	yellow mustard seeds, crushed
1/2-1 teaspoon	salt, or to taste
250g	plain yoghurt
1/2 teaspoon	sugar

Method

Heat the mustard oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Wait until the oil starts to smoke (this gets rid of the pungent mustard flavour and releases a sweeter taste), then reduce the heat to medium. Stir in the green chillies and panch phoron and cook until the mixture crackles. Immediately add the prawns, black and yellow mustard seeds and salt and stir to mix through.
Cook over a medium heat for about 3 minutes, or until the prawns are translucent. Remove from the heat, place the mixture in a heatproof bowl and leave to cool in the refrigerator.
When the prawns are cool, mix together the yoghurt and sugar in a serving bowl until the sugar dissolves. Add the prawns, stir to mix through and serve cold.

Tags:: restaurant; Indian; India; Asia; Asian; Spice Kitchen; Ragini; Dey; restaurant

Prawn raita

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