Prawn Masala
Prawns in a spiced onion-tomato gravy.
Ingredients
- 500 g Shrimp
- 2 Onion
- 2 Tomato
- 1 Ginger
- 4 cloves Garlic
- ½ tsp Ground turmeric
- 1 tsp Red chili powder
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- 3 tbsp Neutral oil
- 1 tsp Salt
- 240 g Basmati rice
- 3 tbsp Cilantro (optional)
Method
- Rinse the basmati rice until the water runs clear, then cook it in twice its volume of water, covered, until tender and the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
- Grate the onion, tomato, ginger, and garlic.
- Fry the onion in the oil over medium heat until golden, then add the ginger-garlic, tomato, turmeric, chili powder, and salt and cook, stirring, into a thick, fragrant paste.
- Add the prawns and a splash of water and cook, stirring, until they turn pink and opaque, about 4 minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir through the garam masala.
- Scatter cilantro over and serve with the rice.
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About Prawn Masala
Prawn masala is a fast, everyday curry from India's kitchens, the kind of dish that gets made on a weeknight when there's a bag of shrimp and little time. Unlike a slow-simmered gravy, it leans on a tight onion-tomato base — grated rather than chopped so it breaks down quickly into a thick, clinging paste — and finishes cooking in around twenty-five minutes. It sits in the family of coastal and home-style Indian curries where the sauce coats the seafood rather than drowning it, with just enough liquid to bind the spices to each piece.
The flavor is direct and warming: sweet browned onions, the acidity of tomato, and the earthy heat of turmeric and red chili, all tied together at the end with a hit of garam masala stirred off the heat so its aromatics stay bright. The prawns cook for only about four minutes, which keeps them snappy and sweet instead of tough — the single most important move in the whole recipe. It's light enough to suit low-carb eating yet substantial thanks to the protein, and it pairs naturally with plain rice, roti, or even just a squeeze of lemon and a scatter of cilantro for something you can put together after work without much thought.
Prawn Masala: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Prawn Masala?
A serving has about 473 calories — 31.4g protein, 59.2g carbs, 12.3g fat, 3.5g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 31.4g of protein, roughly 27% of its calories.
Is Prawn Masala gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Prawn Masala has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
Do I need every ingredient to make Prawn Masala?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out cilantro — it's optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Prawn Masala make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.