Prawn Gravy / Yera Thokku is one of the common gravy in my home town – Thoothukudi. The gravy goes out well with steamed rice, rasam and omelette or Coconut milk rice, Pulav or Chapathi. We use 2 to 4 tbsps of oil, do not reduce the quantity of oil, it result in lack of taste, aroma, texture and color. Let me share the recipe…

Prawn Gravy / Yera Thokku – Thoothukudi Special

Ingredients:

• Shallots / small onions – 20 nos
• Big onion – 1no
• Tomato – 1 ½ nos
• Green chillies – 1 no
• Ginger – 2 tsp
• Chilli powder – 1 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1 tsp
• Cumin powder – 1 tsp
• Garam masala – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
• Curry leaves – a strand
• Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
• Split blackgram – ¼ tsp
• Methi seeds – ¼ tsp
• Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp
• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves – a handful

Preparation:

• Clean the prawns/shrimps.
• Finely chop the shallots, big onion and tomatoes. Slit the green chilli.
• Crush garlic and ginger.
• Heat oil in kadai.
• Put mustard, blackgram, methi, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Wait till they crackle.
• Put onions, garllic and ginger. Fry till they become transparent.
• Put tomatoes and fry till they become mushy.
• Put all the spice powders, salt and prawns/shrimps. Fry them till the raw smell goes.
• Pour a cup of water and cover with the lid.
• Wait till the prawns get cooked.
• Remove the lid and put it in sim, till the oil gets separates.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot. This goes out well with plain rice, curd rice, sambhar sadham and pulav.

Making of Prawn Gravy / Year Thokku –