Prawns Fry
Updated: May 17, 2024, By Swasthi
Prawns fry is a dish of stir fried shrimp with onions, spices and herbs. It is super quick to make under 20 mins and tastes delicious. Serve it as a side or roll it in your roti, chapati or tortillas to make a quick wrap. This simple shrimp fry is made in South Indian Style and is known as royyala vepudu.
The recipe starts with a brief marinade where you toss the cleaned shrimps with a few ground spices, salt and lemon juice. Rest them briefly for 10 mins until you chop the onion and get the other ingredients ready. This step helps the prawns to get rid of raw seafood smell and soak up the flavors of the spices.
While you can make this without onions for a super-fast dish, I prefer to use them to add some flavour and body. The stir fried onions also soak up the flavors of the shrimp and actually taste very good. You can also transform this to a prawn ghee rice by stirring in some cooked rice and additional ghee. This is how we often eat at home.
The other options would be to serve this with rice-rasam, Lemon rice, Ghee rice, Kuska or coconut rice and coconut milk rice. A raita or plain yogurt compliments the meal.
I have used tiger prawns here, you may use any other of choice including the small baby prawns. Also to save time you may opt to use cleaned shrimp (deveined & tails removed). You don’t need to follow the recipe exactly, just use all the spices to preference & heat tolerance.
I used garam masala here but for flavor variations you may use other spice blends, like example:
Use ground black pepper and ground fennel to make pepper fry
Use pav bhaji masala for a different flavour
Kadai masala is another spice blend I use a lot of times.
This Madras Curry Powder is my new favorite for a punch of South Indian flavors.
More Shrimp Recipes you may like
Prawn Curry
Shrimp Tikka Masala
Prawn Pulao
Chilli Prawns
Prawn Biryani
Shrimp Pakora
Photo Guide
How to make Prawns Fry (Stepwise Photos)
1. Devein and clean prawns. I used about 10 tiger prawns (200 grams). Rinse them thoroughly. To remove fishy smell, they can be rinsed with water and little vinegar. You can also use lemon juice and salt to rinse. If using frozen prawns, you will need to soak in hot water for a while. This will help to soften them. Drain off water completely. Add 2 teaspoons lemon juice and ½ tablespoon oil. Mix well.
2. Add 1½ teaspoon ginger garlic paste, ½ to ¾ teaspoon red chili powder, ⅛ teaspoon turmeric, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ to ¾ teaspoon garam masala and ½ teaspoon coriander powder (optional). Mix and set aside for at least 10 minutes, while you chop the onions and green chili.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil or ghee in a hot pan. Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and a green cardamom (optional).
4. When the seeds begin to sizzle, stir in the onions and slit chilies. Sprinkle a pinch of salt.
5. Saute until the onions turn transparent or light golden and add the marinated prawns.
6. Add curry leaves and stir fry until they swirl up to a C shape.
7. The prawns will swirl up completely, meaning they are cooked thoroughly. If you want add more red chili powder, salt and stir fry for just a minute. 1 tbsp fresh grated coconut can also be added at this stage. Stir fry until the coconut begin to smell good.
Serve prawns fry with rice. You can also add some cooked basmati rice, little more ghee, salt to the pan. Mix and stir to make prawn ghee rice.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Prawns Fry Recipe
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
Marinade
- 200 grams (10 large) prawns (or use small variety)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon oil
- 1½ teaspoon ginger garlic paste (or 1 tsp each grated)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt (more if required)
- â…› teaspoon turmeric
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon Indian red chili powder
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder (optional)
other ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil (or ghee)
- 1 green cardamom (elaichi, optional)
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 medium (½ cup) onion (sliced)
- 1 green chili slit
- 1 to 2 sprigs curry leaves
- ½ teaspoon Indian chili powder (to adjust heat level, optional)
Instructions
How to make Prawns Fry
- To a mixing bowl, add prawns, garam masala, lemon juice, turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, salt and coriander powder. Mix well and keep aside until you chop the onion, for 10 mins.
- Heat oil or ghee in a pan and add cumin seeds and cardamom. When the seeds begin to sizzle, add onions and green chili. Saute until transparent to light golden.
- Add marinated prawns and curry leaves. Stir fry on a medium heat until cooked through and they swirl to a C shape. If you overcook, they can turn chewy and rubbery. Your meat thermometer should read 145 F or 63 C. You may taste test and add more salt, lemon or red chili at this stage.
- Serve Prawns Fry with rice or ghee rice.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
Tried the variation with pepper and saunf (instead of garam masala). It was good. Thank you for the recipe.
I love your recipes . Iv made the ghee rice , chicken biryani from you . For this recipe of the prawns , when to add the ginger garlic paste ?
Thanks Monica, Please add it while marinating.
Very good and easy to follow
Tried your recepie for prawns.
Turned out well.
Thank You.
Glad you like it. Thanks for letting us know
Just made your shrimp fry and it came out very well. We had it with coarse upma. Thank you.
Glad to know Shanthini. Thank you so much
Your recipes never fail me, I can always rely on them. Thanks so much!
Glad you like it Radhika
Very useful..
I love all her recipes. All come out sooo well.
Keep it up.
I am just 12 yrs and I can cook by reading her recipes. They are easy and delict…
Thank you Jananeshwari
Very happy to know the recipes are helping you.
🙂
Very tasty and very easy dish..My family loved it
Glad to know Rashmi
Thank you
I have tried several of your recipes and they have turned out absolutely great. You are my go to for yummy food. Thank you so much for the lovely recipes you post.
Welcome Sara
Happy to know! Thank you
🙂
Hi Swasthi,
I was planning to make your prawns fry recipe, was wanting to keep them marinated overnight in refrigerator.
When they’ll be bought fresh from market, I might need around 2hrs or more to devein, wash & marinate them, as I might not be able to do this immediately.
Till then how to store them & keep them fresg.
Freezing without cleaning might increase the work.
Can they be kept at room temperature or refrigerator without being cleaned.
Please advise.
Hi Flavia,
I have kept a separate air tight container for this purpose. I keep the pack of meat as is in a fresh plastic bag. Then store that in the box and wrap another bag and keep it in a separate place in the fridge (not freezer) I clean and rinse them when I am ready to cook. If you marinate these overnight with lemon juice, they may turn mushy. I would suggest not to add any acidic ingredient to the seafoods if you intend to marinate them longer than 30 to 40 mins. Hope this helps.
Thank you so much for the detailed explanation Swasthi?..
What can be used instead of lemon juice for marination over 30-40mins or overnight, as I tend to keep fish marinated over an hour at times at room temperature before frying.
Will white vinegar be a good substitute?
Please asvise
I would suggest, skip the sour ingredient completely and squeeze in some lemon juice before serving.
Great.. thank you so much for the tip.
Is this applicable only to fish or chicken as well
seafood is more delicate so it happens. I leave chicken even for 24 hours in the marinade, it actually helps to keep it more moist.
Hi Swasthi.. We tried the prawn recipe. It was truly delicious. Thanks for sharing!!
Hi Ann,
You are welcome. Glad you liked it
🙂
Loved the ease with which the dish can be prepared. It’s lip smacking too…
Thanks Vividha
Glad you liked it!
Hi team,
I have tried most of your recipes like veg and non veg briyani,dhal fry,veg kurma and other veg dry items everything comes very well my husband says very tasty I was the girl who didn’t cook any items tasty before wedding but your recipes made me to tell that I am a very good cook thanks a ton to the team who is sharing such a nice and tasty recipes
Hello Shanti,
Glad you liked the recipes.
This is amazing article and very useful website for veg and non veg cooking recipes
Easy n delicious
Good
Thanks
It simply superb recipes
thank you
Easy to make yet great on taste!
Thank you
Awesome your recipes are damn superb. I also tried your kuska rice raita and payasam . All tasty good work
Thanks Navya
Happy to know you tried so many foods
wow its very tastt thank u.
Welcome
Nice recipes.. Can u send me recipes plzzzzzzz zzzzzz mam on my id
Thanks Deepak ji,
I have done it. You should have received a verification message, please respond to it. Once you do that you will receive the new recipe links posted from now on wards.