KARUVEPPILAI ERAL

     Karuveppilai/Curry Leaves are natural flavouring agent with numerous health benefits. A Sprig of Curry Leaves in your Dish imparts a pleasant aroma and a unique flavour. Curry Leaves are rich in Antioxidants and hence they have the ability to fight against Cancer and also protects the Liver. Curry Leaves are good for digestion and can treat diarrhoea, indigestion & peptic ulcers.
     Marinated and Deep fried Prawns are roasted on a very low flame along with freshly ground Curry Leaves mixture until each and every piece of Prawns are coated with the Curry Leaves Mixture. Slow roasted gives a perfect texture and flavour to the dish. Though there are different versions of the same recipe this is a dry version, marinating & slow cooking the Prawns yields soft, succulent and flavourful Karuveppilai Eral.



Cuisine - South Indian
Course - Side Dish
Spice Level - Medium-High
Difficulty - Medium
Serves - 2-3
Author - SM



Preparation Time - 15-20 Minutes
Marination Time - 4-5 Hours/Overnight
Cooking Time - 20 - 30 Minutes

HOW TO MAKE KARUVEPPILAI ERAL

 

INGREDIENTS :

To Marinate :

Prawns - 250 Gms
Ginger-Garlic Paste - 2 Tspn
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 Tspn
Red Chilli Powder - 1 Tspn
All-Purpose Flour - 1 Tspn
Lemon Juice - of 1 Lemon
Salt - To Taste

To Dry Roast and Grind :

Black Gram Dhal(Urad Dhal) - 1 Tspn
Bengal Gram Dhal - 1 Tspn
Dry Red Chillies - 3-4 Nos.
Coriander Seeds - 1 Tspn
Pepper - 1 Tspn
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 Tspn
Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 Tspn
Curry Leaves - 1 Cup
Coriander Leaves - 1/2 Cup

To Fry the Marinated Prawns:

Oil - To Deep Fry

To Garnish :

Curry Leaves - Few
Coriander Leaves - Few

METHOD :

To Clean & Marinate Prawns :

• Clean, de-shell and de-vein the prawns.
• Wash the Prawns and allow it to drain.
• Marinate the Prawns with the ingredients mentioned under 'To Marinate' and leave it aside for about 4-5 hours or overnight.
  
  

To Dry Roast and Grind :

• Dry Roast the ingredients mentioned under 'To Dry Roast and Grind' one by one as per the order mentioned in the list, on a very low flame.
• Let the Dhals & Fenugreek be roasted until they turn slightly red and fragrant.
• Roast Dry Chillies until they fluff-up and Coriander seeds until they turn fragrant.
• Slightly Roast Cumin Seeds and Pepper.
• Dry Roast the Curry Leaves and Coriander Leaves until they are dry and crispy.
• Allow the ingredients to cool down.
• Grind the Curry Leaves Mixture to a fine powder and keep it aside.
  
  

To Fry the Marinated Prawns:

• Heat Oil in a deep pan on a high flame and allow it to smoke off.
• Reduce the flame to medium high and deep fry the Marinated Prawns until they are 3/4 done.
• Remove the Prawns from Oil with a slotted spoon and transfer it into another pan.
  
  

FOR KARUVEPPILAI ERAL:

• In a large pan, arrange the Deep fried Prawns.
• Top it up with the powdered Curry Leaves mixture.
• Cook this on a very low flame until all the pieces of Prawns are well coated with the Curry Leaves mixture.
• Adjust the amount of Salt(if needed).
• Leave the Karuveppilai Eral on a very low flame until dry and well cooked.
• Garnish the Karuveppilai Eral with fresh Curry Leaves and Coriander Leaves.
• Serve Karuveppilai Eral hot, along with steamed Rice/Biriyani/Pulao or any other Rice Dish of your choice.
• Can be served as a side dish along with Sambar, Rasam or any other curry of your choice.
  
  

NOTES:

• Dry Roast the ingredient for Curry Leaves Mixture on a very low flame.
• Can add more/less Curry Leaves, as per your preference.
• There is no need to add extra oil while roasting the deep fried Prawns along with Curry Leaves Mixture.
• The oil from deep frying the prawns will be good enough to roast the Prawns along with the Curry Leaves mixture.