This is one of my favourite prawn curry recipes. Really easy to make too!
On a recent trip to Sri Lanka, my wife and I stayed at Cinnamon Hikka Tranz hotel in Hikkaduwa. It’s on the west coast of Sri Lanka and the fresh sea food is out of this world delicious.
This prawn curry recipe was taught to me by Chef Pasan Attanayake along with a few others I’ll be sharing with you. Be sure to watch the Youtube video below so that you can see the curry being made. If you’re looking for winter sun, you should check out Cinnamon Hotels. Great places to stay and the food is always amazing!
If you have a clay pot, use it for this one. It add to the flavour which is amazing regardless of the pan you use.
Be sure to watch this page!
This prawn curry recipe will be featured in my next cookbook. I have only just returned home though so will be making it again for the book.
As with all of my recipes on this blog, I like to shoot step by step photos which I will do soon for this prawn curry.
In the mean time, check out this video and watch this video!
What are moringa leaves?
Moringa leaves are used a lot in prawn and other seafood curries in Sri Lanka. I have seen fresh moringa leaves a few times in the UK but they are not easy to find.
The good news is, they don’t have a lot of flavour.
If you can’t find them, just use a little parsley for colour which is similar in flavour.
Mouthwateringly good! Give this Sri Lankan prawn curry a try today!
What to serve with this prawn curry?
The most popular option is red rice or matta rice which is available from Asian shops in the UK and online. Any rice like basmati is fine though.
In Sri Lanka a selection of curries is usually served together. This curry goes fantastically well with the other curries we made that day such as lagoon crab curry, devilled cuttlefish and tuna ambulthiyal.
Prawn Curry with Moringa Leaves
Ingredients
- 500 g large prawns
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 8 cloves garlic – minced
- 1 inch ginger finely minced
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 12 curry leaves
- 1 inch pandan leave
- 1 tbsp Madra curry powder
- 1 tbsp chilli powder
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 3 green finger chiles
- ½ tsp black pepper
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Clean, de-shell and de-vein the prawns. Remove the heads if you like.
- Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan over a high heat. Add the onion, ginger and garlic and sauté until fragrant.
- Add the curry powder, chilli powder, chillies, pepper, curry leaves and pandan leaves. Saute until they are fragrant.
- Add the prawns to the pan and sear them on each side, stirring gently.
- Add the coconut milk to the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes or so until the curry thickens slightly.
- Season with salt to taste.
Cinnamon Hikka Tranz! I love this place and can’t wait to go back.
For the record, my wife and I were paying guests of Cinnamon Hotels. We did enjoy a few free perks such as cooking sessions and other outings during our stay. We stayed at four hotels by Cinnamon and each had their own individual character. Both my wife and I highly recommend Cinnamon Hotels.
Berbera
Friday 3rd of June 2022
Hi Dan, Looks like the moringa leaves are missing in the recipe. How many and in which stage do you add them? Thanks, Berbera
Berbera
Sunday 24th of July 2022
@Caroline Toombs, Thank you for your reply. Actually, I do have a large moringa plant, bought it online a while ago. Therefore I am looking for ideas and recipes with fresh leaves.
Caroline Toombs
Tuesday 7th of June 2022
Hi I apologise for that. Moringa leaves actually have very little flavour and are not available in the UK. You can leave them out as it won't actually affect the flavour. Pandan leaves have a lot of flavour so if you can get those definitely put them in. When time allows I will change the title of the recipe so thanks for noticing. Dan