Name: Tandoori Prawns
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 300 g Tiger Prawns, large, cleaned, deveined, tails intact; 2 tbsp Strained Yogurt, thick yogurt without whey; 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste; 1 tsp Kashmiri Chili Powder, for vivid red color; ½ tsp Carom Seeds, ajwain, crushed (essential for seafood); ¼ tsp Ground Turmeric; ¼ tsp Garam Masala; ½ tsp Dried Fenugreek Leaves, crushed; 1 tbsp Roasted Gram Flour, bhuna besan, for binding; 1 tbsp Mustard Oil, heated and cooled; 1 tbsp Lemon Juice; ½ tsp Salt, to taste; 1 tbsp Butter, melted, for basting

50 mintotal

20 min hands-on30 min hands-off

Prep 10 min · Cook 10 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Medium

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Method

Make the marinade: in a large mixing bowl, combine the thick hung curd, ginger-garlic paste, Kashmiri chilli powder, crushed carom seeds (ajwain), turmeric, garam masala, crushed kasuri methi, roasted besan, lemon juice and salt.
Pour the pre-heated mustard oil over the spice mixture. Whisk hard to bring it together into a thick, deep red, aromatic marinade.
Add the thoroughly dried prawns to the marinade. Using your hands, massage it in gently so the paste works into every crevice.
Establish a hermetic seal. Relegate the vessel to refrigeration for a mathematically exact duration of 30 minutes. Strict warning: Exceeding this temporal limit will cause the citric acid to chemically 'cook' and permanently rubberize the fragile crustacean tissue.
30 min
Thread the marinated prawns onto metal or soaked wooden skewers, pushing the point through the head and tail ends so they hold their curl as they cook.
Elevate a heavy cast-iron grill pan or tawa to a blistering 220°C (430°F). Establish a microscopic lipid layer across the searing surface.
Lay the loaded skewers on the hot surface. Grill for 3-4 minutes on the first side until dark char marks appear.
3–4 min
Turn them over. Grill the second side the same way for 3 minutes. Prawns cook very fast; they turn opaque and tighten up almost at once.
3 min
In the last 30 seconds, baste them generously with melted butter. This sends up a burst of smoke and gives the crust a glossy finish.
30 sec
Take them off the heat straight away. Squeeze over fresh lemon juice and serve immediately.

How to tell it's done

The outside should be dry, well charred and heavily spiced, cracking open to reveal meat that is tender, faintly sweet and snappy.

Getting it right

Tip

Chef's Tip: Carom seeds (ajwain) are the traditional way to take the edge off the sea smell in prawns. And do not overcook them: even a minute too long turns prawns rubbery.

What to serve it with

A premium, top-tier gastronomic exhibition. Plate architecturally upon a vibrant foundation of razor-thin cabbage slaw, flanked heavily by a severely pungent Mint Yogurt reduction.

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Ingredients