Prawn Puri

Prawn Puri picture

One of my favourite starters in curry houses was prawn puri, a zingingly hot prawn curry on a crisp pancake. Once I'd been diagnosed as having a wheat allergy a couple of visits to local curry houses convinced me that the language barrier was such that I daren't risk eating there.

I'd been taught Indian cookery by the English wife of a Gujerati Indian friend but her cooking was very much vegetarian based so I'd had a hankering for those dishes I'd enjoyed so much but now had to go without. Again Google came to my aid and, from various sources, I put together the following wheatfree recipe.

Ingredients

  • Serves 2
  • For the prawn curry:
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 small onion (or a couple of shallots), finely chopped
  • 1 hot chilli, finely chopped, I used our own red, Aji, mini Brazilian Bonnet chilli
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2.5cm/1in piece root ginger, grated
  • 1 tbsp Vindaloo curry paste
  • 2 tbsp malt vinegar
  • 450g/1lb peeled prawns
  • 75ml/2¾fl oz double cream

  • For the puris:
  • 250g/9oz wheat free self-raising flour*
  • 125ml/4¼fl oz warm water
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
  • vegetable oil, for frying

Method

  1. For the curry, heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion, chilli, garlic and ginger for 5-6 minutes, or until softened.
  2. Add the curry paste and cook for a further 4-5 minutes.
  3. Add the vinegar and prawns and cook for a further 4-5 minutes. Keep warm.
  4. Heat the vegetable oil into a deep, heavy-based saucepan until a small cube of bread sizzles and turns golden-brown when dropped into it.
  5. For the puris, mix the flour, water, coriander and salt together in a bowl to form a dough.
  6. Divide the puri dough into small balls and roll each ball out to 15cm/6in circles. I actually used my (well floured) fingers to press and pat the dough into a pancake as it is quite sticky and difficult to roll but you might try rolling it between two sheets of clingfilm or using a tortilla press
  7. Deep-fry each puri, turning once, until puffed up and crispy (this may take less than a minute or it may take a bit longer).
  8. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
  9. To serve, warm the prawn curry and stir in the double cream. Place a puri onto a serving plate and spoon over a portion of the curry.
  10. Dress with torn, fresh coriander leaves and shredded red chilli.

* I used Doves Farm Gluten & Wheat Free White self-raising flour blend. I find the self-raising flour better for this dish as plain can make a rather heavy pancake