My mom’s fried prawns are the best in the world, on par only with my aunt, her sister who has had the same training and experience as she. It is difficult to get the same taste in my cooking, too much chilli, garlic or salt. It just does not taste the same. These are age old recipes are passed on through the generations by seeing, doing and experiencing.
Everyone’s “hath” or hands give it a different taste. Even if the same recipe is followed by aunt, the taste is different — just as good or even better at the time but just different. I don’t know why that is. I took the exact proportions from my mom for fried prawns but the taste was not the same. “Maybe the salt was different,” Amma said matter of factly.
She showed me all the ingredients and placed them neatly in separate bowls for me to see and photograph but when adding them to the prawns she did not add all the hing or asafetida saying it looked like it was too much, this is where the “hath” comes in the recipe. I guess cooking is not such a science but more of an art that comes with experience.
Pan Fried Prawns Ingredients: 1 kg large prawns, shelled and deveined 2 tablespoons chilli powder 2 teaspoons sea salt 1 teaspoon asafetida 3/4 teaspoon turmeric rice flour for coating oil for frying Directions: Add first four ingredients to prawns and marinate for one hour. Coat lightly with rice flour and place on pan separately. Sprinkle oil for cooking. Turn when lightly brownish. Cooks in 5 minutes. Do not over cook.
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