As much as I am vegetarian my partner is fond of non-vegetarian food. This means he ends up cooking his own non-veg food, and try to help him with my ideas on cooking. This “Prawn malai curry” is another such recipe which was executed by Kapil and I did my bit with providing him guidance 😉 I reckon if you are prawn lover, you will like this curry. It has distinct South Indian taste, thanks to coconut milk, its more like prawn malai curry with coconut milk.
Jump To
What is Prawn Malai Curry
Prawns cooked with the coconut milk and authentic spices of India, gives a great curry. If you familiar with Goan cuisine, you may find a little it of overlap, due to popularity of coconut usage in coastal regions of India. The distinct taste of coconut milk with spices from south of India, yields a mouthwatering flavour.

This recipe is absolutely simple, and is only 4 steps (see below). In this recipe I have used marination, however you may decide to skip marination. My personal view is that marination enhances the taste multi-fold hence marinate the prawns where possible when you follow this recipe.
Method
- First of all, in a mixing bowl marinate the prawns in turmeric and salt for 25-30 minutes.
- Heat a pan over medium heat and add oil to it. Add bay leaves, cardamom and cinnamon stick and sauté. Now add chopped onions and sauté till they are translucent. Now add ginger garlic paste and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add tomatoes, sugar, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder and sauté again for a minute.
- Add the prawns, coconut milk, salt and 1/2 cup of water into the pan and cook for 10-12 minutes. Switch off the heat.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
This Prawn Malai Curry
- Is absolutely easy to make and does not require any expertise.
- Goes well with hot rice
- Is gluten-free curry
- Has got taste from south of India
Tips
- Don’t overcook the prawns otherwise they will turn hard.
- For extra creamy and rich flavour, add 2 tablespoon of fresh cream to it.
- Marinade the prawns for best flavour.
Serving suggestion
Serve this prawn curry, piping hot with steamed rice, along with a cocktail or mocktail.

Other Prawn Recipes
If you are looking for other scrumptious prawn recipes, you can find them below:
Do give me a shout if you need any help with any recipe, happy to help 🙂
Below is detailed and step by step recipe of Malai Prawn Curry Recipe.
Recipe Card
Prawn Malai Curry
Ingredients
- 1 Kg King Prawns Cleaned / Washed
- 1/2 Cup Coconut Milk
- 1 Onion Big Size – Finely Chopped
- 2 Tomatoes Small Size – Finely Chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste
- 2 Green chillies
- 2 Bayleaves
- 2 Green Cardamom
- 1 Inch Cinnamon stick
- 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Salt As Per Taste
- 2 Tablespoon Oil
Instructions
- First of all, in a mixing bowl marinate the prawns in turmeric and salt for 25-30 minutes.
- Heat a pan over medium heat and add oil to it. Add bay leaves, cardamom and cinnamon stick and sauté. Now add chopped onions and sauté till they are translucent. Now add ginger garlic paste and sauté for 1 minute
- Add tomatoes, sugar, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder and sauté again for a minute.
- Add the prawns, coconut milk, salt and 1/2 cup of water into the pan and cook for 10-12 minutes. Switch off the heat.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice.
Notes
- Don’t overcook the prawns otherwise they will turn hard.
- For extra creamy and rich flavour, add 2 tablespoon of fresh cream to it.