Curry Prawns Recipe

Prawns are an excellent main ingredient for a curry as they cook quickly but absorb spice flavours well and have a nice texture. This Curry Prawns recipe is based on a Bengali shrimp curry that is very popular in the Calcutta area of India.

The difference between “prawns” and “shrimps”? You may well ask. In strict biological terms they are different creatures but for most culinary purposes they are taken to be one and the same thing, the exact word used being usually dependant on their relative sizes. In the UK we generally refer to shrimps as the seafood that is quite small in size and often used for “potted shrimp” for example, while prawns will be much bigger with the term king prawn being used for the biggest available. Other countries have different uses of these names - for example king prawns are called jumbo shrimps in some places - but an end to this confusion! Here we will be using a simple to follow Curry Prawns recipe with some classic Bengali spicing.

Curry Prawns Recipe

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

2 teaspoons ground red chillies

3 tablespoons hot water

2 - 3 cloves

½ teaspoon cardamom seeds

4-5 tablespoons strained, thick natural yoghurt

2 teaspoons ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon dried mango powder (amchoor powder)

500 grams (1 lb 2 oz) raw king prawns, peeled with heads, tails and veins removed

Salt, pepper and lemon juice for final seasoning

Fresh coriander sprigs and / or white poppy seeds to garnish



Soak the mustard seeds and chillies in the hot water for about 30 minutes. Then put the cloves and cardamom seeds into the soaked mixture and pour it all into a mortar and pound into a loose paste and put aside.

Next whisk the yoghurt until smooth and add in the ground coriander, cinnamon, turmeric and dried mango powder (do try and obtain this unusual spice as although it is exceedingly sour it really adds a very distinctive taste to the finished dish).

In a large frying pan or wok, heat the oil (a couple of tablespoons will do) and then add your prepared spice paste mixture. Stir fry for a minute or two, then add the spiced yoghurt mix, stir again and then simmer briefly before turning down the heat a bit. The prawns are then added carefully and cooked for 3 - 5 minutes until they are pink. Don’t forget a final check on the seasoning and adjust where necessary.

Garnish with either fresh coriander leaves or white poppy seeds (or even both).



This Bengali-style Curried Prawns recipe only needs the addition of basmati rice to bring you the authentic taste of Calcutta, without the need to leave your kitchen. If you live in Calcutta, it's even more authentic!