A vibrant Western Indian skillet meal of spiced prawns and sweet peas tumbled through tender flattened rice. Tempered with mustard seeds, toasted cumin, and curry leaves, it is light, aromatic, and finished with a sharp squeeze of lemon.
ground turmeric
4.5 gDivided between the prawn marinade (step 1) and the onions (step 3)
In a mixing bowl, toss 900 g prawns with the juice of 0.5 lemon, half of the ground turmeric (about 2 g), 0.25 teaspoon black pepper, and a generous pinch of salt. Leave to marinate while preparing the base.
Place a wide wok or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Melt 4 tablespoon unsalted butter together with 9 g curry leaf and the whole spices. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, until the mustard seeds crackle and the cumin darkens.
Tip in 2 sliced onions, the rest of the ground turmeric, and salt to taste. Sauté for roughly 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions turn soft and translucent.
Stir in 200 g peas and cook for 2 minutes. Add the marinated prawns and toss through for 2 minutes until they just begin to curl and turn pink.
Gently fold in 0.25 teaspoon cayenne pepper and 4 cup rinsed poha, tossing for 1½ minutes to combine. Drizzle 125 ml water around the inside rim of the pan, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and steam for 7 minutes.
Uncover the pan and fluff the flattened rice gently with a fork. Check the seasoning, scatter over 30 g coriander, and serve hot with wedges cut from 0.5 lemon.
Steep a tiny pinch (0.1 g per 2 g turmeric) in 2 tbsp warm water; use to match the rich golden hue. Contributes an aristocratic, honeyed floral flavour rather than earthy bitterness.
Use the same weight. The seeds are smaller and hotter; fry in hot oil until they pop, about 20–30 seconds, and reduce the heat if they darken too fast. The dish will be a little sharper.
Use 70% of the weight of whole seed, added with the other ground spices rather than fried whole. You lose the popping texture and the heat comes through more evenly.