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An iconic sea dish that made its way from Mumbai to Chennai
The lady shopping at the grocery shop was speaking in Tamil but heavily accented with words in Hindi and English slipping out, now and then. Since the shopkeeper was clueless, I stepped in to help and discovered it was Bharathi, a long lost classmate from a school in Mumbai.
By
migrator
migrator
Chennai
Bharathi was the sister of the late actress Nanda. They lived in a house near the seashore in Bandra. We lived in a huge railway bungalow opposite the sea in the same area and used to see the fishermen going out for their catch every day. Bharathi and I were good friends but parted ways when we left Mumbai.Â
Now, seeing her in Chennai brought back various memories — of those crazy childhood days spent sitting near the sea, munching raw mangoes and licking on ice sticks. After playing we went back to her house to watch her sister Nanda cook a fabulous meal. Besides being an actress, Nanda was a great cook and hostess. Whenever she got time away from shooting, she would be cooking or attending to her family’s needs.
We were strict vegetarians at home but seeing live fish and prawns caught and cooked fascinated me. It was not a simple process and seafood was the top favourite of most people living near the coast. The fishermen communities in Mumbai are called Koli and hence the dish koli prawns became famous as it was a seafood dish.
Nanda used to make this dish and we would see many of her film friends drool over it while eating. All this ran through my mind as Bharathi and I exchanged notes and life’s events. She had already introduced this dish to many of her south Indian friends and was looking for a particular masala, which was vital for the dish. I helped her find it and in turn, was invited to come and watch her cook. She lived near ECR and got a fresh catch from the fishermen in that area. One of the iconic dishes of Mumbai has made its way to Chennai.
The dishes, prawns koliwada and fish koliwada actually originated from Sion in Mumbai. They marinated the prawns in ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder, salt, etc., and then batter fried it with a coating of mirchi powder, maida (flour) and kadalamavu (gram powder). It’s called Koliwada because the Punjabi migrants stayed in the same area as the Kolis. Not only did I meet a childhood friend but could also get the recipe of koliwada prawns.
This week, I am sharing koliwada prawns recipe, so you get to enjoy a part of this heritage dish too.
Koliwada prawnÂ
Prep time: 18 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Serves: 4 - 5Â
IngredientsÂ
Medium prawns: 1 kg
Gram flour/kadalamavu: 2 tbsps.
Maida [all-purpose flour]: 1 tbsp.
Yogurt: 1/4 cup.
Ginger paste: 11/2 tsp.
Garlic paste: 11/2 tsp.
Lemon juice: 2 tbsp.
Fresh red chilies paste: 11/2 tbsp.
Coriander powder: 11/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Cloves/cinnamon/jeera or saunf/elachi/star anise: 1 tbsp paste.
Jeera powder: 1/2 tsp.
Black pepper powder: 1/2 tsp.
Oil: 11/2 cups.
Method
- Peel and devein the prawns, wash thoroughly and pat dry.Â
- Marinate the prawns in ginger garlic paste, 1/2 tbsp red chilli paste. coriander powder, jeera powder, the spices paste, 1 tbsp lemon juice and salt for 15 to 20 minutes.Â
- Squeeze out the extra moisture and add all-purpose flour, gram flour, 1/2 tbsp chilli paste, the rest of the spice paste, rest of the lemon juice, yoghurt and 1 tsp of oil.Â
- Mix all the spices with the marinated prawns.Â
- Prepare oil for deep frying, making sure to maintain the temperature at medium-high.Â
- Add one prawn in the hot oil to check if it is sufficiently hot.Â
- Add the marinated prawns in the hot oil in batches and fry till they turn a rich golden brown on both sides.Â
- If you want to avoid deep frying, arrange the marinated prawns on an aluminium foil in a baking tray, drizzle a little oil on the prawns, and broil on high for 5 to 7 minutes on both sides or until they turn a light golden brown. (That is what Bharathi did).Â
- Sprinkle pepper powder on top and serve with paranthas/purees/ rice or bread.
Kitchen Tips
- Fry grated coconut in bulk with curry leaves and store it in the fridge. This can be used easily whenever gravies have to be made
- When you boil potatoes or cauliflowers, make some extra and store it in the fridge. This can be used to make stuffed parathas and cutlets etc
- Use the microwave to sauté onions, tomatoes and to cook vegetables
— Chef Ramaa Shanker is the author of Festive Offerings to the Gods: Divine Soul Recipes
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