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Tangy and tasty

Here is a unique prawn dish that goes well with potato chutney

PHOTOS: T. SINGARAVELOU

TRADITIONAL RECIPES Erra Vindial and potato chutney

Erra Vindial is a recipe taught to me by my grand aunt. She would take pride in making this tangy prawn curry.

The mixture of prawns, coconut milk, cinnamon, anise seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, green chillies, pepper and the sour taste lent by the subtle mixture of tamarind, vinegar and lemon makes this curry unique.

Try it out when you want to give your family a surprise.

Erra vindail

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Big prawns: 1 kg cleaned and peeled
Cinnamon: 1 small piece
Anise seeds (saunf): 1 tsp*
Pepper corns: one and a half tsp*
Cumin seeds: one and a half tsp*
Onions: 2 big cut up fine
Bay leaf: half leaf
Tamarind pulp: 1 tbsp
Chilli powder: 1 tbsp
Oil: 2 tbsp
Turmeric: 1 tsp
Garlic: 1 peeled and kept whole
Vinegar: 1 tbsp
Lemon: juice of 2
Coconut: 1 scraped to extract milk
Green chillies: 4 slit in two
Cloves: 4
Salt to taste

Method: Grate coconut and run it in a mixer with 100 ml of water. Strain the liquid for the first milk. Keep aside. Repeat the operation for the second and third milk with 50 ml of water each time. Grind the spices* into fine powder, and add chilli and turmeric powder. Mix with the prawns. Keep aside.

In a deep frying pan, heat oil, add cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, onions, green chillies, garlic and fry till golden. Add prawns, fry, add tamarind pulp, vinegar and lemon juice. Add second and third coconut milk and bring to a boil. Then add first coconut milk and bring to a boil serve with hot plain white rice and potato chutney. This vindail tastes better if cooked the previous day.

Potato chutney

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 30 minutes

This is a bland chutney but really tasty. It is easy to make. The combination of boiled mashed potatoes, curd, coriander leaves and green chillies is great and cooling.

Ingredients

Potatoes: one-fourth kg
Onion: 1 big, cut fine as for an omelette
Green chilli: -1 cut fine
Curry leaves: a few
Thick curd: half ml
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Urad dal: 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp cut fine

Method: Pressure cook potatoes (2 whistles). Depressurise, cool potatoes and mash. Keep aside. In a deep frying pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds, urad dal and let them splutter.

Add onions, green chillies, curry leaves and sauté. Cover the pan for five minutes and when onions are cooked, cool.

Add curd, coriander leaves and salt. Mix well, refrigerate and serve cold with plain white rice and erra vindail.

KETHARI SRIVANJIAM

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