Chemmeen Ada (Prawns Ada)

Chemmeen Ada (Prawns Ada)

Chemmeen ada ia a popular dish in Malabar Muslim cuisine !!!

Makes : 6 - 7

Serves : 3

Ingredients

Please use same measuring cup to measure rice flour and water.

For the dough:

1 cup / 200 g (Indian standard measuring cup of 200 ml / 8 oz capacity) raw rice flour (ari podi) - preferably fresh

1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups water

1/2 teaspoon ghee

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)

2 teaspoon extra oil

1 banana leaf ( washed and cleaned ) ( Cut banana leaves into 15 cm x 15 cm square pieces). One can make approximately 8 pieces from a banana leaf of normal size.

Method

Boil water in a thick bottomed vessel / saucepan. Add salt, jeera and ghee. When water (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups - not more than 1 3/4 cups) starts boiling add rice flour and mix well. Rice flour should be well mixed with water. Stir continuously. Keep aside for 15 minutes.

Add 1 teaspoon oil to the rice dough and knead well. Divide into 6 - 7 lemon sized portions.

For the filling:

You can use leftover thick prawns curry

or

Easy Prawns Curry

An easy & tasty prawns curry, made of Indian spices and also without coconut paste and coconut milk !!!

Ingredients

For prawns:

500 g prawns (225 net weight after cleaning and deveining)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

Wash, clean and devein the prawns. Drain out water completely. In a wide bowl, mix prawns with turmeric powder and salt. Cover and keep aside for half an hour.

Other ingredients

1 tablespoon oil

1 onion, finely sliced

6 curry leaves

6 garlic cloves, chopped

½ teaspoon red chilli powder (or to taste / ¾ teaspoon for more spicy)

½ teaspoon pepper powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 tablespoon water

½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Marinated prawns

Method

Dilute red chilli powder, pepper powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder in 1 tablespoon water and keep it ready (spice mix).

Heat oil in a pan. Add finely sliced onion and fry till golden color on a medium to low heat.

Add curry leaves and fry well.

Add chopped garlic and fry well until light golden color.

Add diluted spice mix and stir well on a low heat for 2 – 3 minutes until thickens / water dries up / raw smell goes.

At this stage, add marinated prawns, cover again (do not add water) and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes or until done and prawns tender (light pink in color). Overcooking will make the prawns hard in texture. Switch off the heat and stir well nicely.

Final preparation:

Clean banana leaf. Smoke this leaf on flame for a few seconds so that it becomes flexible and easy to fold.

Cut banana leaf into 7 - inch square pieces.

Take a piece of banana leaf. Keep a lemon sized rice dough portion over it. Keep another piece of banana leaf smeared with oil (with oiled portion facing down) the dough. Press evenly to form a thin circle of rice dough of approximately 10 - 12 cm diameter. Carefully remove the leaf on top.

Now one will see a thin circle of rice dough. Keep 4 teaspoons prawns curry mixture in it length wise along its centre. Fold into semi circle and seal the edges tightly - such that the outer covering is the banana leaf which was placed initially.

Repeat this process for the remaining dough / filling.

Arrange these raw prawns adas in a flat steel bowl and steam in a pressure cooker ( without weight) or or in a steamer for 15 - 20 minutes on a low to medium heat or till done. One can notice a color change in banana leaf.

Serve hot. Once the banana leaf is peeled, one will get a nice aroma of prawns curry.