Butter Prawn Curry
Butter Prawn Curry (Jhinga Makhani) is a rich, creamy curry with velvety tomato-based sauce, tender pan-fried prawns, a touch of spice and butter. This homemade Indian style shrimp curry is the real deal - forget paying through the nose for often disappointing takeout!
A classic, easy seafood curry made using plump fresh King prawns, tossed through a tasty, simple yet buttery tomato-based sauce. Made properly, the real proper Indian way, this Butter Prawn Curry is dinner on the table in 50 minutes!
butter prawn/Shrimp curry
Pan-fried plump juicy prawns in a creamy, vibrant butter sauce with fresh and aromatic ground spices, rich with tomatoes and fenugreek. What’s not to love about Butter Prawn Curry?
There’s a decent list of spices called for in Butter Prawn Curry. As would be expected given the richly flavoured creamy tomato curry sauce. You will love this, because this is a very manageable recipe and that’s rare for a good Indian curry!!!
But it doesn’t call for any hard-to-find ingredients. In fact, you can get all the spices at large supermarkets here in Australia, except for Kasuri Methi (dried fenugreek leaves) which is sold in your local Indian grocery store or online. Omit if you could not be bothered to source it. This curry is delicious even without Kasuri Methi.
This recipe is inspired by one of my favourite Indian chefs, Nita Mehta, from her book Simply Delicious Curries. I have increased the spices to suit my palate and also added a tablespoon of ghee to add extra richness to the sauce. Thanks Nita, for this wonderful Butter Prawn Curry recipe, which I have made more than a dozen times already!!!
This is a firm family favourite, and I think you will fall in love with this wonderful Butter Prawn Curry recipe!!!
You’ll love this Butter Prawn Curry because…
It’s super easy yet tastes authentic. In fact, this sauce is made easy using common cupboard spices and simple South Asian cooking techniques.
There’s less work. Unlike many Indian curries, this curry sauce involving much less work because there are no toasting spices, no marinating the prawns and no major blending except making the tomato purée. So, the nice thing about this one is that it’s a “real” curry recipe that’s made using common spice powders. Here, you’re saving time and will still be rewarded with a perfectly balanced mildly spicy yet creamy sauce.
A unique recipe with standout results. You will fall in love with this curry because this is a great recipe that is quite unlike any other prawn curry that you may have tasted. Right ingredients! The right sauce! The mixing of both and the right finishes!!
Succulent Butter Prawn Curry
what butter prawn curry tastes like
The sauce is rich, creamy, vibrant and complex with Indian aromatics including ginger garlic, Kashmiri chilli, coriander and garam masala. Rich with tomatoes and fenugreek, it is slightly spicy and slightly sweet.
It is not as spicy as other Indian curries, as we go a little lighter on the spices for this Butter Prawn Curry to balance the warmth, sweetness and subtle heat, creating the signature creamy and flavourful sauce.
It’s got layers of flavour which means yes, there are quite a few ingredients – and it’s worth it! I don’t think any other store-bought curry sauce comes anywhere near made from scratch (sorry guys!).
ingredients for the butter prawn curry
Here are some notes on the ingredients used. Each of the ingredients and their quantities is intentional. If you have any questions about the ingredients, please feel free to ask in the comments.
When you are cooking this recipe, read the recipe first carefully. Gather all your ingredients and then start cooking.
Setting up your ingredients not only helps speed up the cooking process but also helps ensure you have all of the ingredients on hand to make the recipe.
For the Prawns / Shrimps
- Vegetable Oil – For pan-frying prawns before adding to the sauce/curry. Substitute: with 1-2 tbsp. butter, if you like. I have added butter and ghee while making the sauce, so going lighter when searing the prawns.
- Minced garlic – 2 large cloves. Add into medium hot oil but do not burn the garlic as it can lead to a bitter taste in the final dish. Love the deep flavour of the fried garlic in this Butter Prawn Curry.
- Salt – Seasons the prawns to bring out their natural sweetness.
- Prawns/shrimp – I’ve most often used fresh whole King prawns/shrimp for this recipe because of their firm texture and sweet, delicious flavour. They also can hold bold seasoning such as Indian spices used in this recipe. Substitute: With any other fresh medium to large prawns. If you can’t get / don’t have / really can’t bear the thought of peeling your own prawns, it’s ok you can use peeled prawns (available at your local fish shop). They may be softer, less flavourful than fresh prawns and may affect the overall taste of this Butter Prawn Curry. If you do try with peeled prawns, do let me know in the comments!
For the Butter Prawn Curry Sauce
- Whole tomatoes – Use 2 ripe tomatoes (250g) for the base of the sauce. Purée chopped tomatoes in a blender or similar appliance and use as directed. Fresh tomatoes create a unique and layered taste experience, as they offer a good balance of sweetness, acidity, texture and umami which is essential for this Butter Prawn Curry.
- Tomato paste – Use 2 tablespoons (30g) for a balanced and pronounced tomato flavour. My preferred choice is a double concentrated tomato paste that comes in a 130g tube by ” Mutti”. It’s a crucial ingredient that adds instant depth, flavour and umami to this curry. Alternate: Add 2-3 tablespoon of any other available brand. The final dish may have a slightly different colour with other brands, but it works! Important: Once you add the paste, you must bloom it for 3-4 minutes to unlock the deep flavours and a rich colour to your final dish. To do this, stir constantly until you see a change in colour which is a visual cue that the flavour is developing.
- Onion – Provides depth of flavour and body to the sauce. I have minced finely by hand. If you have a food processor, please chop using the pulse function but be careful not to blend or it will release water and will take longer to sauté.
- Salted butter and ghee – Adds buttery flavour and richness to the sauce, which are the main characteristics of a Makhani sauce. The addition of ghee is my twist however, if you do not stock ghee, please use 3 tablespoons of butter instead.
- Ground spices – Kashmiri chilli powder (mild heat and colour), coriander powder and garam masala powder (a potent spice mix that makes a big difference in this curry). Find at: Here in Australia, you will find these at most major supermarkets nowadays, and cost no more than other spices.
- Kasuri/kasoori methi (dried fenugreek/methi leaves) – A popular herb used in Indian cuisine to add a unique depth of flavour and aroma to many dishes including Butter Chicken and this Butter Prawn Curry. I crush a little on the palm of my hand and add some in the curry towards the end of cooking and some as garnish (yikes! I forgot to add as garnish in the photos!!). Omit if you don’t stock it or could not be bothered making a special trip to the shops. Find at: Your local Indian grocery store or online, not available at any large supermarkets at the time of posting this blog.
- Light cooking cream – Essential to give it that signature creamy mouthfeel but add only as directed, as too much will dilute the flavours. I have used 110mL of the Light Carnation cooking cream for health reasons. Substitute: Same amount of thickened/heavy cream.
- Sugar – Just a touch (I add ½ tsp.) to add complexity and subtle sweetness to the sauce to offset the tart flavours. Feel free to adjust to taste – we are not aiming for a sweet sauce here!
- Ginger garlic paste – Does part of the aromatic groundwork, adds texture and a well-rounded flavour.
- Water – For thinning the sauce. Half (½) cup is sufficient to make a thick base sauce.
- Optional extras (Purely for visuals) –
- ¼ tsp. Kasuri methi, crushed
- ¼ green capsicum (bell pepper) cut into thin strips.
Watch me do butter prawn curry
how to make butter prawn curry
The making part is quick and very straight forward. The step that takes the longest is peeling the fresh prawns and deveining them.
Once you’ve prepared the ingredients, it’s as simple as sautéing and mixing one ingredient after another!
The full instructions, detailed quantities and a printable recipe for this Butter Prawn Curry are in the recipe card below, but here are some helpful notes and tips to go along with the process photos.
Here’s a sketch of we are trying to achieve at each step:
Making the Butter Prawns Curry is nice and easy once all the ingredients are on the bench ready to go. After you sear the prawns, all you have to do is sauté the ingredients one after the another and mix in the cream at the end – About 20 minutes from start to finish.
prepare tomato purée
Chop tomatoes roughly and purée in a blender or similar appliance. Set aside.
sear the prawns / shrimps
Heat oil or butter in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté for 20 seconds until light golden. Add prawns in a single layer and quickly sprinkle with salt. Reduce heat and cook for 3 minutes, turning halfway through. Working quickly, remove to a bowl along with juices and set aside. Deglaze the pan with ¼ cup water and reserve the pan oil along with bits of garlic for use in Step 5. (Video might help).
prepare curry sauce
Sauté Onion – Here’s the next step in building flavour. Add ghee and butter to a medium-size saucepan and let it melt on medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until translucent (5-6 minutes). Stir in ginger garlic paste and stir. (Video might help).
add the puréed tomatoes and tomato paste
Stir in the puréed tomatoes then tomato paste. Cook for 4 – 5 minutes stirring constantly to extract their flavour and colour (Note 6 of the Recipe Card). Pour the deglazed pan juices along with bits of garlic, stir then cook for 2 minutes until slightly thickened.
stir in the ground spices
Add the spice powders and stir well to combine, then allow to bloom for 3-4 minutes, stirring from time to time.
add salt and water
Add salt and ½ cup water, stir and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2 minutes or until the gravy has slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.
Chef’s Tip: ½ cup of water gives a decent amount of sauce along with cream that we are adding in the next step. Feel free to add a further ¼ cup water if you wish to have a little more of that luxurious sauce.
pour the cream
Add the cream.
stir until sauce is blush colour
Stir until a creamy blush coloured sauce forms (2 minutes). Simmer without stirring no more than 1 minute or it will thicken too much.
Don’t you just love the blush colour of this Butter Prawns Curry?
add the prawns back in
Add prawns back in along with the juices and bits of garlic and stir well to coat (Note 7 of the Recipe Card). Taste and see if more salt is needed. (Video might help)
Stir in the kasuri methi and sugar
Working quickly, add the kasuri methi (Note 8 of the Recipe Card) and sugar and stir. Remove from heat, so you don’t accidentally overcook the prawns.
serve
Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with a drizzle of cream, capsicum strips (if using) and a sprinkling of the reserved kasuri methi (If using). Serve immediately with steamed rice, peas pulao or any Indian flatbreads.
Butter Prawn Curry garnished with capsicum
Hope you get a chance to try my Butter Prawn Curry and hope you fall in love with this absolutely decadent curry. Love to know what you think, if you do, in the comments below! – Catherine L x
There you have it, happy cooking Butter Prawn Curry with Deliciously Indian!
what to serve with butter prawn curry
- Keep it classic Indian restaurant style – It’s my number one choice served over hot steamed white, jasmine, white basmati or brown basmati rice (for the carb conscious).
- Serve with breads – This curry tastes out-of-this-world delicious with a type of Indian bread known as “Malabar Parotta”. Find at: Some Indian shops in Harris Park, Sydney. I buy mine at ‘Patel Brothers‘. Or try the other readily available breads such as roti, paratha or naan.
- Keep it stylish – Serve with Turmeric Peas Pulao (recipe coming to Deliciously Indian soon) for a complete colourful and tasty seafood dinner. This combination is my favourite way of eating Butter Prawn Curry.
- White bread suggestion – If all fails, try the emergency supermarket white bread option. White bread makes a great scoop for all that luxurious rich flavour along with a prawn in the scoop. OMG! drooling delicious!!!
Butter Prawn Curry
Ingredients
For the Prawns
- 1 kg medium room temperature green prawns peeled and deveined, removing the heads and tails (Note 1)
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil 80mL
- 2 large garlic cloves finely chopped (10g)
- ¾ tsp. salt for sprinkling
For the Curry Sauce
- 2 medium tomatoes roughly sliced 250g
- 1 tbsp. ghee 15g or vegetable oil (15mL) (Note 2)
- 2 tbsp. salted butter 30g
- 1 large onion finely chopped 175g
- 1½ tbsp. ginger garlic paste 25g
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste 30g (Note 3)
- 1½ - 2 tsp. Kashmiri chilli powder or to taste 4g-6g or ¾ tsp. for a kid friendly curry
- 1½ tsp. coriander powder 5g
- 1 tsp. garam masala powder 2g (Note 4)
- 1 tsp. salt or to taste 5g (Note 5)
- ½ cup / 125mL water
- ½ cup / 100-115mL thickened cream + 3 tbsp. to drizzle
- 1 tsp. Kasuri methi dried fenugreek leaves, crushed between your fingers
- ¼ tsp sugar
Optional extras for garnish
- ¼ tsp. kasoori methi
- ¼ green capsicum cut into long strips
Instructions
- Prepare tomato purée – Place sliced tomatoes in a blender or similar appliance and purée. Set aside.
- Sear the prawns/shrimps - Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and sauté for 20 seconds until light golden (do not allow the garlic to burn). Add prawns in a single layer and quickly sprinkle with salt. Reduce heat and cook for 3 minutes, turning halfway through. Transfer to a bowl along with their juices and set aside. Deglaze the pan with ¼ cup water and reserve the pan oil along with bits of garlic for use in Step 5.
- Sauté Onion - Add ghee and butter to a medium-size saucepan and let it melt on medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until translucent (5-6 minutes).
- Stir in ginger garlic paste - Add ginger garlic paste and stir.
- Stir in the puréed tomatoes and tomato paste – Add puréed tomatoes then tomato paste. Bloom (Note 6) for 4 minutes stirring constantly to bring out the depth of flavour and colour. Pour the deglazed pan juices along with bits of garlic, stir, then cook for 2 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Stir in the ground spices - Add the spice powders and stir well to combine, then cook for 2 minutes, stirring from time to time.
- Add salt and water - Add salt and ½ cup water, stir and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2 minutes or until the gravy has slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.
- Pour the cream – Add cream and mix until a creamy blush coloured sauce forms (2 minutes). Simmer for 1 minute. Add prawns back in along with the juices and stir well to coat (Note 7). Taste and see if more salt is needed.
- Stir in the kasuri methi and sugar – Add the kasuri methi (Note 8) and sugar and stir. Remove from heat, so you don’t overcook the prawns.
- Serve - Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with a drizzle of cream, a sprinkling of the reserved kasuri methi (If using) and capsicum strips (if using). Serve immediately with steamed rice, Turmeric Peas Pulao or any Indian flatbreads.
Notes
- Peeled weight - The weight of the peeled prawns is 500g.
- Ghee - also known as clarified butter or browned butter. My mother made her own ghee by heating butter until melted along with a handful of raw rice grains, then simmering until all the water content has evaporated. It is pure 100% butter. The flavour of ghee is more intense than normal butter and is an essential ingredient that adds flavour and richness to many Indian curries, biryanis and rice dishes. Find at: all large grocery stores, Indian grocers and online. If you do not stock ghee, then substitute with 1 tablespoon butter instead or vegetable oil.
- Tomato paste - I normally use double concentrated tomato paste that’s sold in a 130g tube by “Mutti". It's a crucial ingredient for a rich colour, umami and depth of flavour alongside the tomato puree. If you already stock another brand of regular tomato paste, feel free to add up to 3 tbsp. for a deeper colour.
- Garam masala - is a fragrant spice mix that is found in major supermarkets in Australia (Coles, Woolworths etc.,) and is commonly used in Indian cooking. It can be medium to dark brown in colour (depending upon the spices used). It smells like curry powder, and it is not spicy, if you buy it from standard supermarkets. If you buy from a speciality store, taste first and dial a bit as little goes a long way!
- Black salt - If you stock black salt (kala namak) you may use half black salt and half normal salt. A little black salt enhances the flavour of the final dish adding depth and complexity.
- Blooming - You must bloom or caramelise the tomato paste for 4 minutes to cook off the raw paste and deepen the colour. This is a Makhani sauce, and the rich colour makes a difference between a good curry and a great one! Do not skip this step!
- Stay close to the hob - Do not move away from the stove once you add the prawns back in, as they will be overcooked. We are just stirring the prawns until coated, then immediately adding kasuri methi followed by removing pan from stove. No one likes to bite into rubbery prawns!
- Kasuri/Kasoori methi - A dried herb used in Indian cooking. It has a slightly bitter flavour profile but mellows when added to this curry and adds a unique depth of flavour. Unfortunately, this is available only in Indian grocery stores or online and not available at any large supermarkets at the time of posting this blog!
Hi, I’m Catherine!
I’m all about creating tasty Indian dishes with whatever’s on hand, even when I’m short on time or budget. I love turning simple ingredients into flavorful delights. Join me on this culinary adventure where we’ll explore the magic of Indian cuisine, one delicious dish at a time!
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