Tawa shrimp masala fry -prawns dry fry

Tawa masala shrimp fry, or tawa prawn or prawns dry fry, is a spicy, semi-gravy South indian style seafood dish that can be served as an appetizer and a side to the main course. The dish is based on the spicy tawa prawn served in seaside beach cafes on the coast of Tamil Nadu.

It's a spicy, tangy, rich prawn dish that is surprisingly easy to make. There is no real chopping or cutting; your blender does the job for you. The sauce comes together rather quickly with very little effort.

The marinated shrimp is roasted with it's marinade on high heat on a large flat griddle called tawa, which gives it its name. Cooking on a large flat griddle cooks the shrimp fast, without it stewing and turning into a gravy.

I have used a large carbon steel pan, one of my first kitchen buys in the USA. You can use anything flat, like a cast-iron or nonstick pan.

In India, shrimp is usually called prawn. That's why you will see me using it interchangeably in the post. It is my favorite type of protein, and I have quite a few ways of making it- a coconut-based Kerala-style prawn curry, a Mangalorean-style gassi, a summer-time favourite mango prawn curry, and prawn sukka.

You would have eaten this dish if you had spent even a tiny bit of your youth in southern India. It's very popular, especially in cafes, served along with beers. Except their version is a lot spicier, which you can accomplish too by adding a couple more tablespoons of red chili powder.

Ingredients for tawa shrimp

Here are the simple ingredients you need to make this prawn roast

See the recipe card for quantities.

Shrimp - the size of the shrimp will determine the length of marination. Smaller shrimp will absorb the flavors faster than larger shrimp.

You can opt for wild-caught shrimp instead of farmed shrimp. I have used frozen shrimp from Costco here. While I was in India, I usually ordered online from FreshToHome.

You can make the same dish with mushrooms, paneer, and boneless chicken.

Curry leaves - This recipe is heavy on fresh curry leaves. They are used in two places, both in the marinade and midway through the cooking. One peculiar thing about this recipe is that it uses stems and leaves while blending the marinade.

Shallots- In the picture, I have used just one large shallot that you get in the USA. In India, you will need about 3-4 smaller shallots or a quarter of an onion.

Vinegar - This one ingredient brings the dish together. I love the taste of white vinegar in the dish.

How to cook tawa shrimp masala

This is a spicy dish where the prawn is not deep-fried but roasted in oil.

This dish has two essential steps- making the marinade and roasting the shrimp. It is important that you taste the marinade before you add it to the shrimp. It needs to be saltier and spicier than what you are comfortable with.

Step 1: Prep the tawa masala marinade

Add the ginger, garlic, curry leaves with the stems, and all the spices to the blender. To this, add the vinegar and two tablespoons of water. Blend it to a smooth paste, and add more water if your blender needs it.

If you want to make the tawa prawn spicy, add 1-2 tablespoons more of Kashmiri chili powder.

Add the marinade to the thawed shrimp. Mix it up. Cover and refrigerate for at least 5-10 minutes. Marination will help the spices and flavors reach the center of the shrimp.

You could skip the waiting, as I have done many times in the past, but the shrimp, especially if you have used a larger variety, will feel underseasoned in the middle.

Step 2: Roast the shrimp

Use a large pan like in the picture. The reason to use tawa or a broad pan is so each shrimp has its own space to "roast" rather than stew and release water.

Add the oil, shrimp along with all it's marinade, to the pan. Heat the pan on high heat, moving the shrimp around in the middle so they get cooked evenly.

Add curry leaves to the shrimp halfway through. Cook on high till the shrimp is cooked. Shrimp is cooked if it curls into a tight C or O as you can see in the picture. It takes just 5-10 minutes.

Shrimp can overcook very easily. So you have to keep an eye on it while it's cooking.

The marinade and oil will emulsify together to make a thick masala that will stick to the shrimp. As the dish cools, this paste becomes drier.

Serving prawns dry fry

This is a great high-protein side dish to any indian meal. We love it with simple dal chawal, curd rice, khichdi, and bisibelabhat. It's also a great appetizer to serve for indian parties and soirees.

This dish is served as an appetizer in many sea-facing cafes in Tamil Nadu. Another favourite south indian appetizer is chicken-65 and chicken pakora. It's absolutely fantastic with chilled beers and some sea air.

Storage

Seafood does not have a long shelf life. If you are not eating it immediately, you can store it in the refrigerator for a day or two. However, if I can, I would rather marinate the shrimp and stick it in the freezer instead.

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