Name: Prawns Koliwada
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 200 g Prawns, medium sized, cleaned, deveined, and dried; ⅔ tbsp Lemon Juice, for first marinade; ⅔ tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste; 2⅔ tbsp Gram Flour, besan; 1 tbsp Rice Flour, for crunch; ⅔ tbsp Kashmiri Chili Powder, provides the street-style blood red color; ⅓ tsp Red Chilli Powder, spicy; ⅔ tsp Carom Seeds, ajwain, crushed roughly; ⅛ tsp Ground Turmeric; ⅓ tsp Garam Masala; ⅔ tsp Salt, divided; ⅔ tbsp Water, use cautiously; as needed Cooking Oil, for deep frying; ⅔ tsp Chaat Masala, for garnish

40 mintotal

20 min hands-on20 min hands-off

Prep 10 min · Cook 10 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: High

Add to your week

Method

First marinade: in a bowl, toss the thoroughly dried prawns with the lemon juice, some of the ginger-garlic paste and a pinch of salt. Leave them to rest for 10 minutes.
10 min
Make the coating: in a larger bowl, mix the dry ingredients together: gram flour (besan), rice flour, Kashmiri chilli powder, hot red chilli powder, crushed ajwain, turmeric, garam masala, the remaining ginger-garlic paste and the rest of the salt.
Transfer the pre-cured prawns directly into the dry spice architecture, explicitly transferring any trace liquid they may have purged during the initial rest.
Using your hands, work the mixture in gently but thoroughly. The dry powder should pick up the moisture on the prawns and turn into a thick, sticky, deep red paste that coats every one. Add the small measure of water only if the mixture stays powdery and will not stick.
Mandate an additional 10-minute undisturbed cure. This temporal delay is an absolute necessity to permit the heavy batter to physically anchor itself to the protein.
Heat plenty of oil to a good medium-high in a large kadhai. It should be hot enough to sizzle straight away on contact.
Lower the coated prawns into the hot oil carefully, one at a time. Do not crowd the pan, or the oil temperature will drop.
Leave them alone for the first 2 minutes so the thick crust can set. Then turn them very gently. Fry for 4-5 minutes in total, until the coating is hard and deep red. Do not go longer: prawns overcook fast and turn rubbery.
2 min4–5 min
Lift them out with a slotted spoon and drain the excess oil on kitchen paper.
Dust them generously with chaat masala and serve immediately.

How to tell it's done

A rugged, blistered, deep crimson crust with a loud crunch that snaps open onto sweet, tender, very juicy prawn meat.

Getting it right

Tip

Chef's Tip: A real Koliwada batter is thick, rough and well spiced, and carom seeds (ajwain) are what mark it out. Don't smooth it down like a pakoda batter: the clumsy, craggy look is the point.

What to serve it with

The apex predator of Mumbai coastal snack culture. Present dynamically with sharp onion rings, aggressive citrus wedges, and a highly combustible, fiery Mint Chutney.

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Ingredients