Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Kadhai Jhinge
Kadhai Jhinge (Stir-Fried Ginger & Green Chilli Prawns)

Kadhai Jhinge

Stir-Fried Ginger & Green Chilli Prawns
Non-vegetarian

A quick stir-fry of king prawns with onion, tomato, ginger and green chilli, finished with lemon. It tastes savoury, warm and lightly spicy, with fresh ginger and coriander.

Whole spices for the oil

7 gAdded to the hot oil at the start (step 2)
01
2 g1 teaspoon
spice
02
Coriander seeds · Sabut Dhaniacrushed to a coarse powder
1.7 g1 teaspoon
spice
Coriander is crushed coarse; keep the carom and dried chillies whole and add all three together.

Everything else

01
40 g3 tablespoons
oil/fat
02
180 g
vegetable
03
Garlic · Lehsunroughly chopped
15 g5 cloves
aromatic
04
Tomato · Tamatarthinly sliced
150 g
vegetable
05
King prawn · Bada Jhingashelled and deveined
360–450 g12–15 prawns
seafood
06
Fresh ginger · Adrakcut into matchsticks
10 g2½ cm
aromatic
07
Coriander · Dhaniafinely chopped
~30 ghandful
herb
08
12 g2 chillies
vegetable
09
to taste
salt
10
5 g1 teaspoon
souring agent

Method

  1. Heat 40.5 g vegetable oil in a wide frying pan over a medium heat.
  2. Add the whole spices for the oil (the masala): 2 g carom seed, 1.7 g crushed coriander seeds and 3 g dried red chilli. Fry for a few seconds.
  3. Stir in 180 g white onion, finely chopped, and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring often, until softened and beginning to colour.
  4. Add 15 g garlic, roughly chopped, and fry for 20 seconds.
  5. Add 150 g tomato, thinly sliced, and cook for 4 minutes until softened.
  6. Add 360–450 g king prawns, shelled and deveined, and fry for 3 minutes.
  7. Add 5 g ginger root cut into matchsticks, 30 g coriander finely chopped, 12 g green chilli slit lengthways and salt to taste.
  8. Stir well, cover and cook over a low heat for 2 minutes.
  9. Take the pan off the heat and squeeze over 5.1 g lemon juice.
  10. Serve warm.

Don't have something?

Vegetable oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.

  • Ghee

    Use 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.

  • Mustard oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Carom seed
  • Carom seeds

    Use the same weight; this is the same seed under its other name.

  • Carom seed paste

    Use the same weight; looser and stronger, so add near the end and taste.

  • Cumin seed

    Use half the weight, lightly crushed; gives a warm aroma but not carom's thyme-like punch.

Coriander seeds
  • Ground coriander

    Use 75% of the weight; stir in along with wet masala or tomato purée rather than frying in hot oil, as the fine powder burns instantly.

  • Cumin seed

    Use 50% of the weight for tempering in hot oil. Lacks the floral, sweet citrus flavour of coriander, introducing warm, pungent earthiness instead.

  • Fennel seed

    Use 50% of the weight in tempering; provides pleasant aromatic sweetness, though noticeably aniseedy rather than citrusy.

Dried red chilli
  • Dried kashmiri chilli

    Use equal weight whole. Fry in hot oil or ghee as tempered spice; gives a richer red colour with slightly milder heat.

  • Red chilli powder

    Use 50% to 70% of the weight. Stir into the oil with ground spices; distributes heat evenly throughout the dish without whole chilli skins.

White onion
  • Brown onion

    Use the same weight; it is the closest everyday match, with a slightly deeper sweetness when fried.

  • Red onion

    Use the same weight; it is sharper and will tint the dish pink, so cook a little longer for sweetness.

  • Shallot

    Use the same weight; it is milder and sweeter, so reduce frying time slightly to avoid burning.

Garlic
  • Garlic paste

    Use equal weight. Fry gently in oil or ghee with the ginger; incorporates smoothly into curries without visible minced bits.

  • Garlic powder

    Use 15% to 20% of the weight (about 1 g for every 5 to 6 g fresh cloves). Whisk into sauces; gives a savoury, toasted garlic flavour without raw pungency.

  • Shallot

    Use 1.5 times the weight, very finely minced. Sauté until golden; provides savoury allium sweetness, though it lacks garlic's pungent sulphur bite.

Tomato
  • Tomato purée

    Use 40% to 50% of the fresh tomato weight mixed with a splash of water. Imparts a deeper red colour, thicker sauce, and slightly sweeter cooked flavour.

  • Plain yogurt

    Use 60% of the weight, whisked smooth and added on low heat. Provides rich body and sourness, though the gravy becomes paler and creamier.

King prawn
  • Tiger prawn

    Use the same weight; split or halve if large. Same sweet shellfish flavour, similar cooking time.

  • Large prawn

    Use the same weight; they may need 1 minute less cooking. Slightly less sweet.

  • Firm white fish fillet

    Use the same weight, cut into chunks and add 2-3 minutes later. Flakes easily and lacks prawn juice.

Fresh ginger
  • Ginger paste

    Use equal weight. Sauté in hot fat until the raw allium smell disappears; slightly wetter, but provides identical warmth and pungency.

  • Ground ginger

    Use 20% to 25% of the weight (1 g for every 4 to 5 g fresh). Stir into the gravy; adds peppery heat and warmth, though it misses the crisp, zesty kick of raw root.

Coriander
  • Coriander leaf

    Use equal weight, chopped fresh and stirred in off the heat or used as garnish. Matches the citrus-herbal profile identically.

  • Mint

    Use 40% to 50% of the weight; chop finely and add at the very end. Adds fresh herbal brightness, but shifts the aroma toward cool menthol.

Green chilli
  • Chilli powder

    Use 10 to 15% of the weight (about 1/4 teaspoon per chilli); imparts dry pungent heat and reddens the dish without the grassy crunch.

  • Dried red chilli

    Use 1 dried pod per fresh green chilli; snap in half and temper in hot oil for a deeper, toastier heat.

Lemon juice
  • Lime juice

    Use equal volume or weight; delivers almost identical sharp acidity with a faintly more aromatic, bitter-edged profile.

  • Dried mango powder

    Use 25% of the weight (about 1 g amchoor for 4 g juice); provides clean fruity tartness without thinning the sauce.

  • White vinegar

    Use 75% of the volume; gives direct sourness without any citrus floral fragrance.

Similar dishes

Karhai Jhinga
Stir-fried Prawns (Shrimp)
Karhai Jhinga tastes richer and more tangy from its larger tomato and lemon quantities and ghee, with extra warmth from more ginger and chilli and earthy notes from garam masala and fenugreek, compared with this dish's lighter fresh ginger, coriander and lemon finish.
  • Same: Karhai Jhinga shares with this dish a quick prawn stir-fry built on onion, tomato, ginger, green chilli, coriander seeds, dried red chilli, ajwain/carom seed, lemon and salt.
  • Different: Karhai Jhinga uses ghee or oil, garlic paste, far more tomato, ginger, green chilli and lemon, and adds garam masala and ground fenugreek, while this dish uses vegetable oil and much smaller amounts of tomato, ginger, chilli and lemon.
Goan Prawn Balchao
Hot & Sour Prawn Pickle
Goan Prawn Balchao tastes hot, sour and faintly sweet with a rich, oily, fiery flavour, while this dish tastes savoury, warm and lightly spicy with fresh ginger and lemon.
  • Same: Goan Prawn Balchao shares king prawns, onion, garlic, ginger, chilli and vegetable oil with this dish.
  • Different: Goan Prawn Balchao uses malt vinegar, jaggery, curry leaf, turmeric, cumin, peppercorn and fish sauce, and lacks this dish's tomato, lemon juice, carom seed and fresh coriander.
Ginger-Marinated King Prawns with Turmeric, Mustard & Chilli
Adraki Tandoori Jhinge
It tastes sharper and lightly smoky from the yoghurt marinade and grilled char, while this dish tastes savoury, warm and lightly spicy with fresh ginger, green chilli, coriander and lemon.
  • Same: Ginger-Marinated King Prawns with Turmeric, Mustard & Chilli shares king prawns, ginger, chilli and salt with this dish.
  • Different: It lacks this dish's onion, tomato, garlic, carom seed, coriander seeds, dried red chilli, green chilli, coriander and lemon juice, and instead uses a yoghurt-chickpea-flour marinade with mustard oil, turmeric and Kashmiri chilli powder before grilling with smoked butter or ghee.
Seafood Bhel with Nimbu & Sev
It tastes bright, spicy-sour and saline with a little sweetness and a crisp sev finish, while this dish tastes savoury, warm and lightly spicy.
  • Same: Seafood Bhel with Nimbu & Sev shares seafood, fresh ginger, green chilli, coriander and a citrus souring agent with this dish.
  • Different: It uses cool squid, cockles and crayfish tossed with lime, chaat masala, sugar, white wine and sev, while this dish stir-fries king prawns with onion, tomato, garlic, carom, coriander seeds and dried red chilli in oil.