A popular dish from from the state of Goa, which is situated on the west coast of India. Goa was ruled by the Portuguese for 450 years and they left a great mark on the cuisine of the state. Typically, the recipe calls for Fenni a liquor made from cashews, if you cannot find Fenni, Gin is the perfect substitute.
Serves 6 – 8 as an appetizer
INGREDIENTS:
- 1lb jumbo or large shrimp (prawns) peeled with the last shell segment and tail fin intact and deveined.
- Spice paste:
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (you can decrease this to ½ – 1 tsp – for less heat)
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 tablespoons Fenni or Gin
- 1 teaspoon jaggery (palm sugar) or dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons mustard oil or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Baguette
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place the shrimp in a shallow dish. To make the spice paste, combine the garlic, ginger, cayenne pepper, black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, fenni or gin and the palm sugar, jaggery or dark brown sugar. Rub the paste evenly over the shrimp. Set aside for 30 minutes at room temperature.
2. In a large frying pan over high heat, warm the oil. When very hot, add the shrimp and cook, tossing, until they turn pink and curl, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice.
3. As an appetizer, you can serve on slices of baguette. Slice baguette thinly and place on a flat serving platter, arrange a prawn on each sliced baguette and top with a teaspoon of Cardamom Hills Spicy Tomato Chutney.