The Indian Prawn fry recipe is super easy to make with minimal ingredients. Before moving on to the recipe, Do you know that the Prawns can swim backward? I could see your raised eyebrows.
It is true, as it does not have fins like other fishes. Coming to this Indian-style prawn fry recipe is easy and can be made in an instant. It is hot and dry and best served as a side dish for rice or as an appetizer.

Prawns belong to the Shrimp family. These verities are available in India. These have large heads, which are equivalent to their body size.
While cleaning, watch out for their sharp heads and tails. Always devein them, as it does not taste good and may hurt your stomach.
Have you checked other prawn/shrimp recipes like Chettinad shrimp sukka and Shrimp appetizer on toothpick?
It is a hectic task to peal, clean, and devein prawns. My family strongly believes that the small variety of prawns tastes suitable for the recipes. But the burden of cleaning falls on our shoulders.
Do you wonder why I am exaggerating this cleaning task? It's an accurate statement; deveining the smaller verities is more challenging.
The more challenging jobs undoubtedly yield better results. All the pain of cleaning and deveining vanishes when we get appreciation. I love to have this stir fry along with my Radish Sambar rice.
Prawns get cooked quickly, so saute them on medium flame. Very high-flame cooking makes the outer skin to be very tougher.
If you cannot bear the heat of the red chili powder, substitute half of the amount with coriander powder.
Here in the United States, I usually make this spicy Indian prawn fry recipe with deveined, tail-off, raw gulf shrimp. I feel it tastes similar to the Indian prawns.
You may also substitute the prawn with shrimp.
How to make Indian prawn fry
1. Carefully remove the outer skin, head, and vein from the prawns. Clean, wash, and devein them.
2. Heat oil in the pan and add fennel seeds. Once the fennel seeds slightly change their color, add chopped onion and chopped garlic. Continue to saute them in a medium flame until the onion turns soft.
3. Add prawns, salt and red chili powder. In a medium flame, continue cooking by stirring them occasionally. If they get sticks at the bottom of the pan, then add another teaspoon of cooking oil to ease the frying. Cook it till the prawns become stiffer and a little crispy.
4. Remove it from the fire and transfer it to the serving bowl.
Serving with Rasam would be the best option I have seen so far.
Other seafood recipes you may like,
- Hawaiian spicy garlic shrimp
- How to reheat shrimp
- Chettinad shrimp
- Indian prawn fry
- Spicy seafood recipes
Printable recipe card
Indian prawn fry
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- ¼ cup onion Chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic Chopped
- 1 cup prawns deviened and cleaned
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt or as required
Instructions
- Over medium heat, place a pan. Add vegetable oil and fennel seeds.
- Once the fennel seeds slightly changes its color, add chopped onion and chopped garlic.
- Saute until onion turns soft and tender.
- Then add prawns, red chili powder, and salt.
- Cook it till prawn is done thoroughly.
- Remove it from the heat and serve with rice.
Nutrition
Serving Suggestions:
Serve along with Sambar rice, Rasam Rice or as an appetizer.
Tips and Variations Prawn Stir Fry:
1. Onion can also be omitted in this recipe.
2. Care must be taken while adding salt to the dish, as overpowering salt can destroy the prawns.
3. If you are making this recipe with the shrimp. Remove from the heat as soon as they get cooked.
Have you checked another chicken recipe of Madurai?
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Usha
Suja, I didn't know prawns can swim backwards. You have beautifully placed stir fried prawns in a bowl, looks delicious. It is very catchy image. Today afternoon I made prawn curry in coconut sauce. Addition of fennel seeds is new to me..I will try sometime.
Em
Is it fennel seeds or cumin seeds?
Sujatha Muralidhar
Manjiri, this South Indian style prawn recipe needs fennel seeds. Fennel seed brings bright rich flavors.