Goan Prawn (Shrimp) chilly Fry

My mother made a very simple prawn (or shrimp) chilly fry at home which I thoroughly enjoyed.  She did not add too many spices to the dish which kept the flavor of the prawns from being overwhelmed.  I have special memories of prawn chilly fry being part of the evening meal on a Good Friday when fasting and abstinence is a ritual.  I had some baby scallops which I added to the dish, but prawns are often used on their own.

In Canada we call all prawns shrimp, unlike the English who refer to prawns as the larger ones, and shrimps as the smaller version. No matter what we choose to call these crustaceans, they will always be a delicacy for Goans!

Ingredients

850 grams of  cleaned prawns (shrimp)
1 teaspoon ginger/garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon of green chilly paste (or to taste, can use a fresh green chilly )
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 small onions, or 1 large
1 large tomato
salt and pepper to taste
juice of half a lime
1 tablespoon olive oil (less if using a non-stick pan)

Method

Put the prawns in a bowl.  Add the ginger/garlic and chilly paste. A level teaspoon salt and a 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and the turmeric.  stir gently and leave aside.
(If using a fresh green chilly, fry it with the onions later on in the recipe )

Add a tablespoon of oil to a pan.  When hot add the onions and cook till translucent.

 Add the tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes are soft and have changed color.

Add the prawns.  Tip: I usually pull the onion-tomato mixture to one side of the pan and add the prawns to the empty side so they cook directly on the pan till their color changes, and then I mix and stir in the onion mixture and cook till done.

 When the prawns are cooked, add the lime juice and mix.  Do a taste test for salt or sourness and add more if needed.

Approximate nutritional value bases on 6 servings
calories 190.4/ total fat 4.9 g/total carbohydrates 5.9 g/ protein 29.5g