Pursuit of Prawns

It's about two hours to Christmas and the city is slowly winding down for the night. It's been a long day and some hot food could revive our spirits. The welcoming smile of the Chinese waiter, the subtly warm ambience of the ten-cover restaurant and the largely empty tables make for a reassuring quietness. A silence in which I can quickly re-run the day in my mind and come to terms with having to go to church for the first time this year.

But that's tomorrow and tonight I soak in the soothing cocoon and marvel at my friend's concentration as she reads the menu with undivided attention. The waiter stands at a respectful distance, knowing he should keep his distance when a connoisseur is at work.

"We'll have deep-fried prawn for starters. OK?" she announces after much deliberation. "Sure," I smile gently, impressed with the single-minded pursuit of prawn. Of course, by now, I've learnt that in matters of food, I can safely trust her choice; the selection will be impeccable.

So it is. The prawns are large, lightly coated with a bland batter and deep fried. But contrary to fears of dripping oil, strangely there's very little of it and there's a satisfying crunch as we nibble at the piping-hot prawns.

What is it about prawns that makes them so good? By themselves, they're rather unimpressive, rather expensive and bothersome to clean. But cook them the right way and they're magically transformed into curly delights. All they need now is a bit of Chinese sauces to add some spice and these prawns are the perfect starters for a Christmas-eve dinner. The rest of it is a blur but I'm sure it was good because I mellowed enough to go to church on Christmas morning.

By an uncanny turn of events, one week later, we are again sitting down for dinner, this time at a different restaurant after a hard week's work. But this time, the feasting around us has a forced sense of jollity about it. Of course, it's New Year's eve, and everyone, but everyone, must have fun, or at least be seen doing so. The contrast with the previous week can't be more stark. Loud laughter, dimly-lit interiors and scurrying waiters lend an air of quiet desperation to this North Indian restaurant. But we are an island of comfortable quietness – my friend analyses the menu with a fierceness I'm not only becoming used to but also learning to appreciate. "We'll have a spicy prawn curry with steamed rice, OK?" "Sure," I say, again marvelling at the attention to selection and the passion for prawn.

As always, the choice is perfect. The curry is coconut-based and the thick, spicy gravy in brass bowls goes swimmingly well with the large prawns. The masala is rather vague in origin – it seems to have all the standard spices, a bit of ginger, a bit of garlic… It appears as though the chef is playing it safe, trying to please all palates. No matter what, the whole thing seems to come together rather nicely. And the plainness of the steamed rice allows the curry take all the credit for a good meal. As the car horns hoot and people start shouting meaninglessly for want of anything better to do in their hollow hysteria, we know yet another year has slipped by. The countdown has started ticking on another year.

We remember some feasts for the food, some for the people at the table, some for the occasion. Rarely, it's for all of them but these two dinners linger in my memory on all three counts.

P.S. Both restaurants have since closed down, not sure why. We did our bit to keep them in business, but obviously it wasn't enough.

Basic Prawns

Ingredients:
1 kg prawn
Chilli powder
Pepper powder
Cumin powder
Salt
Turmeric powder
Three juicy tomatoes
Oil

Method:
Shell and devein the prawns. Wash and clean thoroughly. Add a couple of spoons of turmeric powder to the cleaned prawns and mix gently. Let it be for a few minutes.
Heat a kadai and pour in a few spoons of oil. Chop the tomatoes and add them to the just-beginning-to smoke oil. Add a few spoons of chilli powder, a half spoon of jeera powder and a pinch of pepper if you like. Let it simmer for a minute or two and add the prawns. Stir gently. After about five minutes, add salt to taste. Do not, repeat not, add any water. Cover the kadai and let the prawns cook well. Keep on the fire for a longer time if you'd like a fry-like consistency rather than a gravy.
Goes well with any bread or roti. If you'd like to eat it with rice, remove from the fire earlier and ensure there's lots of gravy. Or maybe add a couple of more tomatoes.

-- Neil Collins