Recipe contributed by Smita Mama
Born and raised in Pakistan, Smita now lives in Toronto, Canada where she has no choice but to cook and experiment with quick and easy recipes, which will appeal to her husband and son’s taste buds.
C for Chutney Prawn Papeta by Smita Mama
Growing up in Pakistan, within a tightly knit Parsi community, I had no choice but to develop a palate for our ‘tum-tumta’ Parsi delicacies. As a child, I was lucky that I had people around me who would cook all the Dhansak, Curry Chawal, Papeta noo Ghos and Tamota per Eeda that I could wish for.
I moved to Canada four years ago, and realized almost instantly that if I wanted to fulfill my cravings for Parsi food, I had no choice but to learn to cook. I was fortunate in getting the opportunity to take a crash course and learn several dishes from our local Canadian chef, Niloufer Mavalvala , who took on the daunting task of teaching me the basics of Parsi cooking. Once my foundation was passably strong, I began experimenting with our Parsi staple dishes and came up with ways to make them simpler and faster.
Like most signature dishes, this recipe for Chutney Prawn Papeta recipe came to fruition a few months ago, when I was figuring out what to cook while rummaging through my fridge, and stumbled upon a jar of green chutney I had made earlier. I had used most of the chutney to make some Patra ni Machchi and as always had a little bit left over that I didn’t know what to do with.
Being a weeknight and me being low on patience, I decided to makeover this leftover chutney by adding in some prawns I had bought from the market over the weekend. Since everyone loves prawns and I didn’t have enough to go around, I also decided to add in some potato to bulk up the dish and Voila, the Chutney Prawn Papeto was born.
Over time, this little experiment has become one of my favourite go-to dishes, as it is a quick and easy one pot recipe. Moreover, it has been approved by my husband and 2 year old son. The below recipe doesn’t share how to make the Parsi green chutney. For that you can visit this link.
Chutney Prawn Papeto
Ingredients
- 400 gram small sized prawns
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 medium potatoes
- 1 cup Parsi green chutney
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Prior to starting, make the Parsi Green Chutney using the link to the recipe mentioned in the post. You can also use any leftover coriander, mint & coconut based chutney that you may have at home should you wish
- Heat oil in pan on a medium flame and add the chopped onions. Toss for a few minutes till brown
- Roughly chop the potatoes and add to the pan. Also add a cup of water so that the potatoes are immersed. Cover and cook till soft. Keep adding very small amounts of water to the pan (if need be) so the potatoes don't burn or stick to the bottom of pan
- Once the potatoes are cooked through , mix in the baby prawns (shrimp) and cook uncovered on a medium flame
- Add the green chutney mixture and stir well so the shrimps and potatoes are evenly coated
- Once the prawns are cooked through, taste for salt and then remove from flame and serve with hot chapatis
This post is part of my ongoing series on the blog, the A to Z of Parsi Food which has been curated in collaboration with Parsi food enthusiasts globally. For more interesting recipes follow the hashtag #AtoZChallenge mentioned below.
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