LATASHA’S TANDOORI PRAWNS

5 July 2017 By

I created this recipe in 2010 for The West Australian’s Christmas special under a topic titled ‘Latasha blends cultures to celebrate’. Quite some years before I started bottling my products.
You can make this recipe from scratch if you feel up to it and it’s well worth it. However, if you’re pressed for time, simply use ½ jar of Latasha’s Kitchen Tandoori Sauce/Marinade and mix it with ½ cup full fat natural yoghurt, some salt, oil and lemon juice to create this beautiful aromatic dish. Everything listed below has been captured in my concentrate paste. You can add some sweet paprika to give it a much more bold red colour. Cooking time depends on the size of the prawns. This recipe can also be used for crayfish, squid, fish, chicken, turkey or a leg or shoulder of lamb.

Ingredients

  • 1kg fresh king prawns
  • Juice of 1 large lemon
  • Salt flakes to taste
  • Mustard oil

Ingredients A

  • 3 tbsp grated ginger
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 4 green chillies
  • 1 medium red onion, roughly chopped

Ingredients B

  • 3 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
  • 3 tbsp mint leaves, chopped
  • ½ cup natural yoghurt
  • ¼ tsp permitted red food colouring mixed with 1 tsp of tomato paste
  • 3 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 4 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • ½ tsp grated nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp mace powder
  • 2 tsp ground black pepper & white pepper mix

Garnish

  • Lemon slices
  • Red onion rings
  • Fresh coriander & mint leaves
  • 1 tbsp ghee to drizzle

Method

  1. Wash, clean and de-vein prawns leaving shell intact. Sprinkle salt and lemon juice over prawns and set aside for 15 minutes.
  2. Blend Ingredients A until smooth. Add Ingredients B and blend again. Pour this marinade over prawns and mix evenly. Cover with cling wrap and leave overnight in the fridge or at least for an hour.
  3. Take prawns out of the fridge 10 minutes before cooking. Drizzle 1-2 tbsp mustard oil (or any high temperature cooking oil) over the prawns.
  4. You don’t need a tandoor or a clay oven to make a tandoori dish. You can successfully use any of the following methods.
  5. For a Weber, cook on indirect heat for about 15 minutes, basting frequently with the marinade (half-close the vents on the cover but leave air intake fully open). Then with lid off, wait a few minutes for heat beads/charcoal to flare up and grill on direct heat for charred effect. This should be done in a couple of minutes with a quick turning over of prawns.
  6. For cooking in oven, preheat oven at 200˚C for 10 minutes. Line baking tray with foil, place a wire rack and arrange prawns over the top. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn pieces over carefully and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Baste with the marinade at this point.
  7. For stove-top grilling, preheat the grill to high for 10 minutes. When sizzling hot add the prawns, making sure they are not too close to each other. Grill for 7-8 minutes on each side, and baste with some of the marinade.

To serve: Arrange the prawns on a large platter with lemon and red onion slices, and garnish with coriander and mint leaves. Drizzle with ghee.