Prawn Malai Curry

Ingredients

• 0.25 teaspoon cardamom seeds
• 3 whole cloves
• 3 (1 inch) pieces cinnamon stick
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 whole cloves
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 2 (1 1/2 inch) pieces stick cinnamon
• 1 onion, grated
• 1.25 teaspoons ginger paste
• 1.25 teaspoons garlic paste
• 0.5 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 0.25 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 0.5 cup finely chopped tomato
• 0.5 cup water
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 pound tiger prawns, peeled and deveined
• 1 teaspoon ghee (clarified butter)

Steps

1. To prepare fresh garam masala, in a coffee grinder, grind cardamom seeds, 3 whole cloves, and 3 cinnamon sticks to a fine powder. Set aside.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 4 whole cloves, 4 cardamom pods, and 2 sticks of cinnamon and fry for a few seconds (take care as cloves tend to pop out of the pan). Stir in grated onion and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook and stir until liquid dries and onion no longer smells raw, about 5 minutes. Add ginger paste and garlic paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Stir in turmeric and cayenne pepper. Add chopped tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are soft, about 5 minutes. Pour in water, cover the pan, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
4. Pour in coconut milk and stir well. When mixture is just below boiling, stir in prawns. Sprinkle mixture with almost all of the fresh garam masala powder, reserving a pinch to use as a garnish. Gently stir to combine. Do not cover the pan at this stage, as coconut milk will curdle.
5. As soon as prawns are pink and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes, add ghee. Remove the pan from the heat. Sprinkle reserved garam masala over the dish and serve.