Chemmeen Eerkili yil Varuthathu ( Skewered Prawns in Traditional Kerala Style)

"Chemmeen Eerkili yil Varuthathu" is a traditional recipe of Kerala which can be eaten as an Appetizer or  can be served along with " Naadan Kuthari Choru "( rice ). It is an authentic finger licking recipe where prawns  marinated in "Kerala Style Masala" are skewered in " Eerkili " (which means coconut leaf splinters) and  are shallow fried. If you don't have "Eerkilli", don't worry :) You can use tooth picks to skew the prawns. The reason why the prawns are skewered like this is to prevent them from shrinking to an extend even after frying. Usually we use " jumbo prawns " for this recipe (the big ones) and will keep the head and tail intact which gives a better appearance to this recipe. For those who haven't tasted it try this once and I'm sure you are definitely going to love this....!!!

 

Ingredients

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1. Prawns - 250 gm (with head and tail on)
2. Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/4 tsp
3. Curry Leaves (Finely Chopped) - 1 tbsp
4. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
5. Kashmiri Chilli powder - 2 tbsp
6. Chilli Powder - 1 tbsp
7. Crushed Pepper powder - 1  tbsp
8. Garam Masala Powder - 1 pinch
9. Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Salt - to taste
11. Coconut Milk - 3 tbsp
12. Lemon Juice -  2 tsp
13. Eerkilli/ Wooden Skewers / Toothpick
14. Oil (Preferably Coconut Oil) - for shallow Frying (nearly 4 tbsp)

Method

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1. Clean the prawns well. Remove the middle shell of the prawns gently but keep the head and tail on and devein them. ( remove the black colored thread like thing on top of prawns).
2. Make an incision on the head of the prawns carefully and remove all the impurities inside. 
3. Make a marinade by mixing the ingredients numbered 2 to 11.
4. Marinate Prawns with the above made marinade and keep for at least 30 minutes. It will taste more if you keep longer.
5. Skew the marinated prawns in a toothpick or in traditional Kerala style you can use "eerkilli"(coconut leaf splinters).
6. Add oil to a heated pan and shallow fry the prawns.
7. Cover with lid and cook till both sides are done.
8. Now open the lid reduce flame and add 1 tbsp coconut oil and some freshly ground pepper and shallow fry for 3 more minutes.
9. When they are done transfer to a plate and garnish with freshly chopped curry leaves. It gives a nice aroma to this recipe.

Notes

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1. Be very careful when cleaning prawns . Devein them properly else it can cause stomach problems.
2. Do not overcook prawns as they will turn rubbery.
3. Coconut Oil gives the authentic taste to this recipe.