Amritsari jhinga or Amritsari Prawn fry is very similar to pakodas or fritters. They could also be called the Indian tempura. The ingredients used to marinate the prawns are very similar to the ones used for veg dishes, for e.g. cornflour, besan, refined flour and masalas like carom seeds, Kashmiri red chilli powder, turmeric powder, amchur etc.
Prawns are abundant and consumed worldwide. In aquaculture, prawn is used for only freshwater forms of palaemonids. Both shrimp and prawn are crustaceans and different from each other but the words are used interchangeably in commercial farming and fisheries. Both the words, prawns and shrimp originated in the United Kingdom. The word prawn is more commonly used in the UK while the opposite is true in North America. They are similar in appearance, even though they belong to different suborders of Decapoda.
Preparation time: 30 minutes (including 15 minutes of marination)
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Servings: 2-3
Ingredients:
• 1 cup shelled prawns
• 4 tbsp unroasted besan
• 2 tbsp cornflour / corn starch
• 1 tbsp refined flour / maida
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• ¾ tbsp carom seeds/ ajwain
• ½ tsp turmeric / haldi
• ½ tsp garam masala
• ¼ tsp asafoetida / hing
• ½ tsp powdered raw mango / amchur
• 2 tbsp red chilli powder / Kashmiri mirch
• little water only to prepare a thick paste
• Salt as per taste
• Oil for deep frying
For garnish
• 1 finely sliced onion
• 2 tbsp - Green chutney
Method:
• Mix besan, cornflour, refined flour, ginger-garlic paste together in a bowl
• Add all the spices - turmeric, garam masala, carom seeds, amchur, hing and the Kashmiri red chilli into the dry mix
• Add just a little bit of water to make a thick batter
• The batter should be of dropping consistency not pouring or liquidy because the prawns have to be well coated. Do not add a lot of water, since prawns are anyway moist and contain some water too
• A runny batter will not stick to the prawns
• Refrigerate the marinated prawns for at least 15 minutes
• Heat the oil in a kadhai / wok on a high flame
• Once the oil is hot, turn down the heat and start putting in the prawns one by one
• Turn up the flame again and let fry to golden brown. But do not flip the prawns over immediately, as the coating may come off
• Once they are golden on one side, turn them over
• Let the prawns fry for a total of 4-5 minutes and then drain them out on a paper towel
• Serve hot with green chillies, sliced onions and spicy, tangy green chutney on the side
Prawns are considered to be among the healthiest of foods worldwide. They are a great source of protein and contain vitamins and minerals too.
