Authentic and flavorful - That's how you would describe this Mangalorean style shrimp curry (Prawn gassi) recipe. Serve it over cooked rice or dosas for a complete gastronomic experience.
Soak jaargey in 1/2 a cup of hot water for 10-15 minutes or soak it overnight for best results.
Roast byadgi chilies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, methi seeds and black pepper fried in a teaspoon of oil in a pan kept over medium heat. [Note - You can skip this step if you have premade Kundapur masala powder - use 3 tablespoons of this powder.]
Grind the spice mix from step 2 along with garlic, onions, coconut, salt, turmeric and chili powder and the water from jaargey to make it into a fine paste. If using tamarind paste, add water as needed for grinding. Set it aside.
Making shrimp curry over the stovetop
Heat the oil in a medium-sized pan over medium heat and add mustard seeds to it. When they start spluttering add kadipatta to it. Let it fry for around 20 seconds and then add onions and fry them till they are translucent.
Pound the ajwain and methi seeds to a coarse powder. Add the ground ajwain and methi seeds to the curry and mix well.
Add the ground paste to the onions that were being fried and add water as needed (~1/2 - 3/4 cup) for a curry like consistency.
When the gravy starts to boil over add the shrimp, green chilies, and ginger paste and cook till it is done.
Serve hot with rice.
Making shrimp curry in Instant Pot (My preferred method)
Choose the Saute setting and set it to normal. Heat the oil in the steel insert of the Instant Pot and add mustard seeds to it. When they start spluttering add kadipatta to it. Let it fry for around 20 seconds and then add onions and fry them till they are translucent.
Add ground ajwain and methi seeds and mix well.
Add the ground paste to the onions that were being fried and add water as needed (~1/2 - 3/4 cup) for a curry like consistency.
When the gravy starts to boil over add the shrimp, green chilies, and ginger paste. Cover the lid, select cancel and adjust the pressure to low, and manually cook for 3 minutes. Once the cooking cycle completes, release the pressure by carefully turning the vent towards venting.
Serve hot with rice.
Notes
Tester's notes
Increase the chili powder from 1/2 to 1 teaspoon, if you like it spicy. Including green chili is also optional, but if you like your dish spicy as it is meant to be, then include it.
Instant Pot cook time is about 3 minutes (for large shrimp) but it takes about 10-12 minutes to build pressure, hence the total cooking time is about 15 minutes. For smaller shrimp, cook for about 2 minutes.
Unlike stovetop cooking, a curry cooked in an Instant Pot does not lose as much water. That's why the curry consistency before cooking should be what you want as a final result. In short, don't add as much water as stovetop cooking.
I love making it in the Instant Pot because I don't need to check on the shrimp like I have to over a stovetop.