Video recipe for Kuttadaadan Konchu Kizhi or Kerala Prawn Masala

Preparation time: 15 minutes 

Cooking times: 25 minutes 

Serves: 3 

Ingredients 

200 gms prawns, cleaned and de-veined

150 gms shallots, sliced 

1 small onion 

2 green chillies 

2 garlic cloves 

1 ½ inch long ginger 

½ tomato  

2 tbsp chopped coconut pieces

1 ½ tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder 

1 tsp pepper 

¼ tsp turmeric powder 

2 dried red chillies 

½ tsp mustard seeds 

3 tbsp coconut oil 

2 sprigs of curry leaves 

¼ cup coconut milk (coconut milk powder mix, as it will be more stable to cook with)

Salt for taste 

Method 

Step: 1 

Wash, clean and devein the prawns.

Step: 2 

Chop the shallots, onion, ginger, garlic, and green chillies into small pieces and keep aside. 

Step: 3 

Pound the black pepper in a mortar and pestle and keep aside. 

Step: 4 

Heat one tablespoon of coconut oil in a “Manchatti” or thick bottom pan. Splutter the mustard seeds in it. 

Step: 5 

Toss in the chopped coconut and sauté for two minutes. Then add the chopped ginger, garlic, green chillies, and a sprig of curry leaves. Also, add dried red chillies in small pieces. Sauté all these together for a minute over a medium flame. 

Step: 6 

Add the chopped shallots, onion and sauté. Add salt to taste. Sauté until the shallots turn light golden brown. It takes approximately 10 minutes.  

Step: 7 

Add turmeric powder and mix well. Then add the chopped tomatoes. Cook till tomato becomes soft. It takes approximately three minutes 

Step: 8 

Then add red chilli powder and sauté for a few seconds over a low flame or until the raw smell goes away.  

Step: 9 

Add prawns and mix well with the masala.  

Step: 10 

Add half a cup of water and cook with the lid covered for about 4 minutes. 

Step: 11 

Add 1 tsp of pepper powder and mix well. 

Step: 12 

Add ¼ cup of coconut milk. Cook for two minutes over a medium flame with the lid covered.  

(For a thick gravy, continue cooking uncovered.) 

Making the Kizhi 

Step: 1 

Take a banana leaf, and warm it gently on a pan over a low flame to prevent it from tearing. 

Step: 2 

Transfer the prawn masala to the leaf. Tie the top edges of the leaf together with a thread or with the plantain fibre in the shape of a ‘Kizhi’ or pouch or bag. 

 Step: 3 

Heat a ‘Manchatti’ or pan and pour one tsp of coconut oil. Place the ‘Kizhi’ in the pan and roast with the lid covered for about 5 minutes over a medium flame. As the leaf browns and softens, the dish is ready to serve.

Recipe courtesy: Sobha Varghese is a homemaker based in Mumbai, India. Sobha runs a popular YouTube blog called ‘Sobha's Kitchenette’ that focuses on authentic and traditional Kerala recipes