Wednesday

Back... and frying

First it was the sightseeing with my in laws, then the move to a new apartment, then a road trip... and well, blogging kept taking a back seat to it all. One good thing though, I realized I am not as obssessed with my itty bitty space on the web as I thought!

It's only after I received dire threats from my most avid readers (that would be my family) did I click on the 'New Post' button. The 'comeback' recipe is fried shrimp - nothing short of our favorite food could have coaxed me out my hibernation. Any form of fried seafood is considered a complete meal in my family, or at least an essential food group!

Back home when my mother fried shrimp for dinner, my brother and I would make her count each piece and place it on our plate. 4 for him, 4 for me. Of equal size too. I think we'd have measured them if we could!! What can I say? Fried shrimp is known to induce such extreme behaviour.

shrimp

(4 for me, 3 for my husband!)
BHAJILE SUNGTA (Fried Shrimp)
10-12 medium raw shrimp
1/4 tsp turmeric
3/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp ginger garlic paste (optional)
salt
either coarse rice flour or semolina for dredging
oil to shallow fry

Devein shrimp, wash and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Add all seasoning and apply evenly to shrimp. No swishing around in a ziploc bag a la Food Network chefs please. Cover and let marinate for 5-10 minutes. Dredge each shrimp in rice flour or semolina so it's well coated. Shake off excess.

Heat your pan* on medium-low heat. Drizzle oil all over (not too much, you don't want oily sea food). Place shrimp on pan so they don't touch each other. Fry for 3-4 minutes until they become crisp. Turn over and fry on the other side. Add a little more oil if necessary. Remove on absorbent paper when done.

* I use my trusted cast iron griddle for frying. It gives me the same crispy, non oily texture that I grew up eating (everyone used cast iron in India until non stick picked up in the 80s). Cast iron retains heat better and distributes it evenly so you get great results every time. Besides the surface just gets better with use.
* Other options for frying - silver and black pomfret, head or tail on shrimp, bombay duck, kingfish, mackerel etc.

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37 Comments:

Blogger Suganya said...

Yeah! After sometime the obsession fades. Welcome back to you and yr glorious photos!

1:22 PM  
Blogger bee said...

hey, hun, i missed ya.

1:33 PM  
Blogger Priya said...

Nice to see you back Ashwini ! Love the photograph and the write-up,I am surely ready for a lot more of these :)

1:36 PM  
Blogger Mishmash ! said...

Glad to see you blogging again...it's a pleasure to see the way to you make your food look 'gorgeous'. Waiting for more :)

Shn

2:14 PM  
Blogger indosungod said...

Ashwini! Welcome back! and those fried shrimp are just super.

2:21 PM  
Blogger Saju said...

welcome back, great fry-up. Looking forward to more recipes

2:57 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hey u too do the same 1 for me 1 for my brother.nice pic and nice recipe.and nice to see u back.

3:09 PM  
Blogger FH said...

HeHe!! Nice title!! Fry away girl!Good to know you are addicted to blogging like some of us!:)
shrimp looks great.Golden and crispy.I grew up in a veg. family,so no Shrimp fighting for me but for pakodas,sure!!:D

3:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Those are drool-worthy!

One of my maushis made fried prawns for us when we visited her recently. She didn't use any ginger-garlic paste and had fried them in coconut oil. I haven't had them made like that in years and years!

5:30 PM  
Blogger ServesYouRight said...

Welcome back!! (and she brings deep fried goodness - gasp!!)

Smita

5:40 PM  
Blogger Ketki said...

Hi Ashwini,

I just came across your blog and I think its awesome.
i have decided to try the Jeer Meer Kadhi..and lots more..!
Thanks for this page. I have added your link as a fav on my blog.
Thanks again...Keep the reciping coming..!

7:28 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hi, the wait was sooooooo long.Welcome back.Nice dish to start with - fried prawns.

8:34 PM  
Blogger Ashwini said...

Suganya - thanks...and you have just begun so don't talk about the obsession fading yet
Bee - sweetheart! I have been checking up on you though. So sorry to have missed JFI
Thanks Priya, Indo, Saju, Ramya, Smita
Mishmash - thanks..and I think I have miles to go in terms of presentation
Manisha - the absolute authentic version has no ginger garlic. I add it coz I like a garlicky kick. And fried in coconut oil - ooohhh cant get better than that.
Ketki - thanks! Let me know how you like the kadhi..maybe you can impress your mom with it ;-)
Anon - good to be back!

8:40 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You are a very good girl to stop after 4!

Will everyone stop posting with prawns and shrimps!! I have no idea how to pick these at my fishmonger - far away that I am from any sea coast. I get it - this must be some kind of revenge for the mango!

Welcome back, Ashwini. Your pictures really are gorgeous!

9:31 PM  
Blogger Jyothi said...

Hi Aswini, shrimp fry looks awesome. Welcome back. Expecting a lot of yummy recipes from you. Thanks for sharing.

http://andhraspicy.blogspot.com
http://cookeryvideos.blogspot.com

9:49 PM  
Blogger masalapav said...

the picture looks sooooo good...

10:21 PM  
Blogger Poonam said...

this looks great!

10:22 PM  
Blogger Richa said...

i can almost feel the crunch in them sitting here :)

10:37 PM  
Blogger Nabeela said...

*HUGS* I'm gald you're back. I missed you! I've been extremely busy the past few weeks too...have still a lot of catching up to do with my blog reading :)

11:44 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Looks great!! Have been a regular reader of ur blog :)
Welcome back!!
The pic looks inviting!!

1:24 AM  
Blogger Sia said...

he he...nice title n that plate of shrimp fry looks really good. i would have poped some if i was not a 'hardcore' veggie;) good to see u bk ashwini:)

4:13 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just as my mom makes it :-) I understand the equality totally ...

9:31 AM  
Blogger TBC said...

I come here regularly but seldom leave comments. It's nice to have you back!

10:15 AM  
Blogger Athika said...

Glad to see you back with your lovely recipes.

10:48 AM  
Blogger Mahek said...

hi
ashwini
thanks for visiting my blog
Its great to have you back and to see your awesome photographs.
And some new recipes offcourse.

12:45 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Welcome back :)
Wow..a very nice dish as come back Ashwini. I love bhajil sungat :).

1:43 PM  
Blogger Ashwini said...

Anita - 4 is not counting those I popped in while I was frying ;-) No prawns? No you cant punish yourself like that! Look for soft, plump ones with no discoloring or strong smell (good seafood does NOT stink; it smells of the sea). No white or gray colors and firm tails. Thats it. Go get em now!!

Jyothi - thanks, your blog looks great too

Pratik, Poonam, Richa - thanks

Nabby - its been ages! I did check up on your blog though

Cinnamon, Sia - thanks

Anu - I suppose you had some wars over shrimp as I did?

Tbc - so this post got you out of lurkdom! Thanks

Athika, Mahek - thanks

Shilpa - bhajile sungta/ paplet/ bangdo anything is ambrosia ;-)

2:21 PM  
Blogger Priyanka said...

Oh thats so cute- equal portions for you and your brother- my sister and i used to do the same thing over chocolates and everything else.lovely pics.

9:50 PM  
Blogger Meena Kandlakuti said...

Hi Ashwini..great come back with such a nice recipe...You know I never used to eat shripms till i was married. It was my husband who made me to eat this shrimp first cooked by him. From then onwards I just loved them.Till today my family(mother, father, brothers, sister) all chase me for this, that I have changed my taste for my dear hubby:-)...Anyways how much I deny its true after all:-)...Welcome back and happy blogging dear.

1:29 PM  
Blogger Bong Mom said...

Good to see you back Ashwini and what a colourful come back. I love prawns/shrimp whatever way they may be

12:25 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yummy! I too love prawns! Me and my bro used to fight over the fried fish :)) it's the count that always would help :)

5:19 AM  
Blogger Shah cooks said...

i missed u! nice to have u back!!

8:17 PM  
Blogger Mrs. K said...

Wow! You are back! And I thought shrimps were not photogenic. :D

8:15 AM  
Blogger Anupama said...

Hi ash,
Great to be in touch with you again. Love the look of those shrimps. Do come over to my blog and check out my food event. I am so glad you are back.

3:17 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ashhhhh,
We missed you so much. What a relief to see the deluge of posts from you.
Btw you don't have to cook to post here i mean not necessarily.. :D :D

Keep 'em coming.

1:20 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Ashwini, I accidently came across your blogspot...and must say its been a REAL pleasure. I am a konkani myself and was excited to see all your konkani recipes. Especially after looking at your bhajile sungat, n reading how u used to make ur mom count the sungat, I just couldnt keep myself from smiling...I was all nostalgic as me n my brother used to do excatly the same thing.

7:32 PM  
Blogger Ashwini said...

Pareen (lovely name) - thanks! Really? You and your brother used to do that too? I honestly thought we were the only shrimp obssessed people around! It was always shrimp that brought about such behaviour, never fried fish for some reason.
Glad you liked my blog.

8:30 PM  

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