Chef Sujan Mukherjee suggests a delicious combination of prawn and raw mango that he picked during a drive to Kovalam
There is nothing quite like going on a long drive and stopping at some small, nondescript place for a meal that turns out to be surprisingly good. Some of the best dishes I have ever eaten were in little dhabas on the roadside on my way to the hills. Then, again, in coastal India, the aroma of a man frying fish or prawns on the roadside was so delightful that it meant one had to make a quick food stop, even if it was immediately after breakfast.
My friend, Sujan Mukherjee, who is a great chef, tells me that as a car and food enthusiast, he has had many such delicious encounters during his many drives. “Most of my journeys have ended with my finding some splendid recipes from the most unexpected places,” says the executive chef, Taj Coromandel Hotel, Chennai.
He recalls one such stop near Kovalam town on the East Coast Road, which led him to a prawn dish that he – and his guests – can’t forget.
“I had pulled over to a shack on the recommendation of an old kitchen buddy and it was worth it. The place had a wide choice of fresh seafood prepared in various innovative styles, but the one that caught my attention was the prawn cooked with raw mango and raw papaya called the yera maanga peratal,” he recalls.
The dish was simple, like home-cooked food. “But the combination of prawns with tangy raw mango made me an instant fan of it,” he recalls. He has tried it out in his hotel, with a few tweaks here and there, and says his guests love it. He has given me the recipe for it, and it is truly simple. You just need the few essential ingredients, some spices and a bit of oil. And five minutes.
Thai version
I agree with the chef: you just can’t beat the taste of stir-fried fresh prawns. I had some delicious prawns, stirred with just lemon grass and a few other flavours at an open roadside market in Hua Hin in Thailand a couple of years, and the taste still lingers in my heart.
Chef Mukherjee’s yera pachamanga peratal sounds equally delicious. It brings to my mind languorous days by the sea, coconut water suitably spiked, and the aroma of freshly cooked food.
RECIPE
Yera pachamanga peratal (bay fresh prawn and raw mango)
Ingredients:
500g prawns (about seven pieces)
50g raw mango
25g raw papaya
75g shallots
20g chopped green chillies
20g chopped ginger
25g chopped garlic
5g mustard seeds
4 round chillies
8 curry leaves
3g chopped coriander leaves
3g turmeric powder
30ml oil
Salt to taste
4ml lime juice
Method: Wash, clean and devein the prawns and set them aside. Peel the raw mango, dice them into small pieces and set aside. Peel and cut the raw papaya into small pieces. In a pan, heat oil and crackle the mustard seeds, followed by the round chillies and curry leaves. Add sliced shallots and cook well.
The shallots should not brown. Combine the chopped ginger, garlic and green chillies. Cook till the aroma is released. Now add the diced raw mango and cook well.
Add the prawns and sprinkle turmeric and salt. Toss well. Combine the raw papaya and check seasoning. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and finish by adding a few drops of lime juice. Serve.