I grew up in a small town Aluva near Cochin, Kerala, on the lush, spice-rich south west tip of India. As a boy, I spent much of my free time helping my mother in our vegetable garden and then in the kitchen, turning the plants we grown into sumptuous meals and enjoying the ultimate secure and happy, busy childhood.
From very young age what I learnt is, to have good food – we need to respect the environment in which it grows, cooks, presented and served. Being part of this link between farming, gardening and cooking is to experience something very basic yet very profound, something in this world of ours that is good not only for each of us, but all of us at the same time. I made few visits to the local schools here in Manchester, UK to inspire children and their parents to share a love of good home cooking that can colour their whole lives.
My little Kerala is known for its panoramic backwater stretches, lush green paddy fields, highlands and beaches. In my last holiday I been to Kumarakom an hour journey from Cochin is a serenely beautiful and scenic backwater destination, a charming peninsula jutting into the ever-effervescent Vembanad Lake that is dotted with plenty of traditional rice boats and canoes, leaving a scene that is immensely pleasing to the eye. It’s rich in marine life especially the exclusive kumarakom pearl spotted fish, tiger prawns, crabs, prawns and many more. I had fresh prawns from there and sharing you the recipe.
I love prawns because they’re so versatile and quick to cook. This is a really simple meal that you can rustle up in minutes. But, as is always key with any quick meal, don’t skimp on the flavour. Here I’ve given you a lovely mix of spices that will satisfy your taste buds.
With few of our fellow bloggers we have created a food group in Face book where we met few amazing food bloggers and food photographers outside word press. We would get to learn more from them. If you are interested please join with us in Foodie art files
preparation time- 10 minutes
cooking time – 10 minutes
serves – 2
Ingredients:
Prawns – 250 gm
Garlic- 3 or 4 cloves (chopped)
Ginger- 1/4 inch piece (chopped)
Whole red chilly- 2 to 3, split into two
Kashmiri red chilly powder- 1/2 tsp.
Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp.
lime or lemon juice-1 tsp
Salt: to taste.
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
Coconut oil- 4 tbsp.
Method:
1) To prawns add in red chilli powder, pepper powder, turmeric powder, lime juice and salt. Mix well and marinate for 3 to 4 hours.
2) In a pan heat the coconut oil and add in the whole red chillies.
3) Add in the garlic and ginger along with curry leaves and sauté for few minutes.
4) Place the shrimps evenly and cook on a slow fire. Slowly flip all the shrimp to the other side and cook to full.
Note: Using fresh curry leaves and coconut oil, will give you a unique flavor.
Connect me on face book – Sumith Babu
So beautiful, and I am sure it’s totally delicious!
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Thanks a lot dear Dolly😊
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Beautiful photography! Looks delicious too!
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Thanks a lot Sandiego
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Your presentation of the food is so perfect, another great recipe of yours I will try
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Thanks a lot Gayle😊
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That picture is great, the prowns look lovely
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Appreciate the compliment. Thanks Bakhitah.
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Brilliant capture
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Thank you Ruchi 😊:-)
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Your photos alone should make everyone go to the market for shrimp…just lovely.
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Karen, thanks a lot for that beautiful compliment. You are so kind.
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Fabulous!
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Thanks a bunch Chris.
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Mmmmm. 🍓
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😊;-)
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A wonderful very tasty recipe, dear Sumith! I like to mention that my 1st E-book has been made by me! Come on over & check it out here:
https://sophiesfoodiefiles.wordpress.com/2016/12/24/i-just-made-my-1st-e-book-called-healthy-vegan-christmas-subscribe-to-my-blog-to-get-it/
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Thank you Sophie! And congratulations on your 1st E- book. This is amazing!! Keep rocking and wishing you a Merry Christmas!!
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Thanks, sweety! xxx
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😊 🙂
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Have a magical day Sumith.. Another wonderful post which inspires a ‘vision of Keralas’.. I hope you’re not missing it too much to enjoy a wonderful day here in Manchester… May your dreams for 2017 come true! x
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Thanks a lot Wendy. And wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy New year.
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Thanks so much Sumith.. I had a lovely day yesterday (and a very late night).. and the fun continues today! I hope you had a lovely time too with your family and I wish you all the best and for your dreams to come true in 2017! xx
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Hi Wendy very happy to know, you had a very happy holidays. We had a great time!! And wishing you too a wonderful New Year for many more dreams to come true!!
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That’s brilliant Sumith and I’m so pleased you had a great day too! Yep.. may our dreams for 2017 come true my friend! xx
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Wendy, let make it more challenging!! Add more spice in life!! 😂😅
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Sounds good to me Sumith! More challenge, more spice, more fun and definitely more laughter! What could be better.. xx
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😊:-)
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ps.. Well done for taking your inspiration out into the Manchester schools.. That’s definitely what our kids need – real inspiration! x
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Thanks for the compliment wendy-:)
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You’re welcome Sumith! x
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😊:-)
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Sumith your words paint a beautiful picture of your home and those prawns. Oh my. 🙂
Mollie
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Thanks a lot Mollie for your beautiful bouquet of words:-) And wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New year.
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🙂 Thanks Sumith! And thanks for the inspiration all these months! 🙂
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And thanks for all your inspirations as well -:)
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Loved reading about Kerala and your vegetable garden Sumith! The recipe and photography are both spectacular!
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Thanks a bunch Sandhya. And wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New year. 😊
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Exquisitely delicious-looking Sumith!
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Thanks a lot Kathryn. And wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
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The photography is amazing…I love the velvet cloth and the little Christmasy effect you have in the pic:) And yes, Kerala is an absolutely beautiful, serene place:)
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Thank you Divya😊 You are always very inspirational.😍
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Great pictures, Sumith. Thank you for the description of your home – it brings it much closer and makes it more real to me.
Happy holidays!
Alex
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Thank you Alex. And wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New year.
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I love prawn and, I’m drooling! I’ll never visit your blog at night in the future… I’m feeling hungry again… !!!
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Haha I loved this lovely comment.😋 Me too love prawns😍
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😀 😀 ….
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Just Mindblowing share😍☺️ And you have a such a talent for food plating and presentation 👌
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Thanks a lot Sonia.😊
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I hope to return to Kerala some day… It is very beautiful.😊
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Thank you Brigid. I am very glad you like Kerala.
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What a fun appetizer to serve at a holiday party! It’s been a lot of fun following your blog. Happy Holidays! -Ellie
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Thank you Ellie and wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year.
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Looks delicious and beautifully presented. 🙂
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Thanks for that beautiful bunch of words Ronit. 🙂
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Your love for nature reflects in your beautiful presentations.Loved your recipe.
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Thank you Anuradha 😊
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Pleasure is all mine Sumith.
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😊:)
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Prawns isn’t my cup of tea as pure veggie , but loved the description about Kerala beautiful place indeed & would love to visit again ! Presentation is as always inspiring
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Glad you liked it. Thank you 😊
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True artistry
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Thank you Derick 🙂
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This looks so delicious and the festive photography is wonderful. I will get to Kerala one of these days!
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Thanks a lot Caroline. You will enjoy the beauty of Kerala😊
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Yes, it is one of my favourite States in south India. Btw, if I remember right, Arundhati Roys’ “The God of small things” is based in Kerala.
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Yes it is Caroline. Thanks for stopping by.
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Great recipe-sounds delicious!!
Kerala must be a beautiful place:)
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Hi Ursuka, Thank you. It’s a beautiful tourist destination.😊
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These would definitely be gobbled up
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Also, I’m curious. Is that red liquid more marinade or some cocktail to go with it? (sorry, my finger hit send before I was done typing). Lol
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It’s sweet red chilli sauce.
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Rini you will love it😊
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As always, your food looks both beautiful and delicious. I’ve heard of Kerala but never been and you make it sound so wonderful that I want to visit someday. A wonderful post!
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Thanks a lot Vanessa. You will love Kerala in its scenic beauty!!
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Prawns are one of my absolute favourites! Great recipe Sumith – thank you.
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Thank you Tracey. Me too love prawns! I could eat this all long day😍
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Sounds like you had a lovely childhood, Sumith, leaving you with lots of lovely memories and inspiration for your splendid food creations.
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Thank you Robbie. My Dad ‘s house was very lucious with varied varieties of plants and trees and really enjoyed those child hood day.
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The prawns look delicious and your description of your home is absolutely captivating! Kerala sounds like an incredibly beautiful place!
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Hi Elizabeth, thank you. Kerala is known as “God’s own country” it’s so green and beautiful.
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I’m going to Google pictures of Kerala. You’ve got me really fascinated with it.
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Google for images on kerala house boat’s, back waters, beaches, tea plantations you will lI’ve it for sure.
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Thanks for the tips! I will!
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WOW! The tea plantation photos remind me of Ireland! Gorgeous! I’m on to the house boats now!
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Haha enjoy the scenic beauty on your boat😍
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I’d feel like a fairy tale queen living on one of those boats!
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😊😊:)
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My mouth literally fell open when I saw the houseboats! Then I looked at some of the interiors and I’m totally blown away! These are not boats, nor are they houses! These are dreams come to life!
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They will catch fresh fish from those lakes and cook inside the boat for you😍
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I can’t stop looking at the photos. What an amazing place! Thank you for telling me about them!
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You are very welcome Elizabeth😊
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The beaches… Oh, my, the beaches! This settles it. Kerala is paradise! I can’t wait for Mr. Comfortable to get up so I can show him these photographs. I don’t know how you could leave such a place!
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Hopefully Mr comfortable would find this a comfortable holiday destination😎 May be you would have heard of Goa in India. Difference between Goa and kerala is Goa is bit westonised.
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I can only dream of going. I’m terrified of flying.
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😊😊:-)
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