Tawa Prawns / Tawa Tandoori Prawns / Tawa Jhinga

Tawa prawns are flavorful and juicy prawns which are super easy to make with just a few simple steps. Tandoori Prawns is a famous dish that every non-vegetarian would love to relish. These smoky and juicy prawns satisfy the cravings of a tandoori dish within minutes. It is a perfect party appetizer or side dish for your meal.

Tandoori tawa prawns have tandoori marination and are cooked over a tawa aka griddle. The prawns are marinated in a spiced yoghurt marination and cooked over tawa (griddle) till crisp and charred on the outside.

This super easy tawa tandoori prawn recipe yields delicious end results, I am sure you’ll end up making them over again! If you love shrimps or prawns, this prawn recipe is ready within minutes. You can make these tawa tandoori prawns in a charcoal tandoor, electric tandoor, oven, air fryer or over stove top.

The tandoori marinade is made using simple Indian spices (tandoori masala). This easy prawn snack recipe is ideal for get-togethers, potlucks or dinner parties. If you love prawns and tandoori dishes, do give this easy prawn recipe a try for your next party or weakened dinner.

The authentic and traditional way for making tandoori is in charcoal tandoor. But nowadays since most of us do not have a traditional tandoor at home, an electric tandoor also works great if you have that. Apart from this the other method is the oven method and gas top method if we don’t have tandoor at home.

If like me, you also don’t own a tandoor then simply use a tawa or grill pan over a stove top like I did. Any which way, these tandoori prawns will always leave you craving for more.

These perfectly marinated tawa tandoori prawns, bursting with amazing flavors, can easily be one of the most loved party appetizer recipes with very little effort.

WHAT IS TANDOORI PRAWNS?

Tandoori Prawn is a popular prawn dish known for their juicy, bold and flavorful taste. Cleaned deveined prawns or shrimps are marinated in yoghurt based marination known as tandoori masala. These marinated prawns are then cooked in a tandoor, a cylindrical clay oven resulting in an aromatic and smoky flavored prawns.

The dish originated from the Indian subcontinent and is popular in many other parts of the world. It is also one of the most ordered dishes in fine dining restaurants, fast food corners and tops on the restaurant menu.

Nowadays many use oven or electric tandoor or gas top method to cook any tandoori recipe. These juicy and  crisp charred prawns are served with green chutney along with onion and lemon slices.

You can cook this prawn recipe in an oven, air fryer or on a gas top over tawa/griddle as well just like I did in this recipe.

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE TAWA TANDOORI PRAWNS

This section explains what all ingredients are used in making tawa tandoori prawns, how to use or choose certain ingredients and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

PRAWNS – We have used large tiger prawns in the recipe. You can use medium, large or jumbo prawns as per available and taste buds.

OIL – The recipe uses mustard oil. For tandoori mustard is the best and gives a bold and authentic tandoori flavor. You can use butter or ghee (clarified butter)

CURD/YOGURT  – Hung curd is used here. If your curd is watery put them in a muslin cloth and allow them to drain the water. By doing so you will get thick curd which is best for tandoori recipes  Do not use sout curd, try using fresh curd.

BESAN –  Besan (grams flour) is used for binding the masala well with the prawns. This allows the masala to bind nicely with the prawns and gives an even finished result

HERBS – Herbs like ginger, garlic, lemon juice and kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) are used.

MASALA – Tandoori marinade is made with a mélange of Indian spices. The masala powders used are turmeric powder, red chilli powder, kashmiri red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, pepper powder and amchur powder (dry mango powder).

SALT as per taste.

HOW TO CLEAN PRAWNS LIKE A PRO.

Here’s a simple instruction in how to clean prawns if you’re buying directly from the fish market.

First wash the prawns in water before starting to clean them.

Peel the shell of the prawns and remove the head, legs and tail simultaneously.

The head, legs and tail can be easily removed with your finger. You can even remove the tail by squeezing it.

Using a small sharp knife make a slit along the middle of the back of the prawns to expose the black colour vein.

Now pull and remove the vein gently. Wash the prawns nicely under running water.

Remove them from water and pat them dry completely using a kitchen napkin or clean kitchen towel.

Your prawns are ready to use for any recipe that calls for prawns.

HOW TO MAKE TAWA TANDOORI PRAWNS?

This section shows how to make tawa tandoori prawns with step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For full ingredients measurements, see the recipe card below.

STEP BY STEP PICTORIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE TAWA TANDOORI PRAWNS

PREPARING THE PRAWNS:

Remove the head and peel the prawns leaving the tail. Devein the prawns and wash them nicely. Pat them dry completely with a napkin or clean kitchen towel.

FIRST MARINATION:

In a bowl add in the cleaned prawns.

Add in all the ingredients mentioned in the first marination list.

Mix well and keep aside for a few minutes while we make the second marinade.

SECOND MARINATION:

In a bowl add in all the ingredients mentioned in the second marination list (reserve 1 tablespoon oil for later use).

Mix well to combine everything together nicely.

Add in the prawns and mix well. Coat the marinade well with the prawns. Keep aside for 10 minutes or more if you have time

COOKING THE PRAWNS:

Place the tawa (griddle) over high flame and heat it for about 1 minute to make it non-sticky. Add in the reserved mustard oil and allow to heat up.

When the oil becomes hot reduce the flame to low and place the marinated prawns in a single layer.

Cook for about a  minute. After that flip the prawns to another side and cook for another 1 minute.

Reduce the flame and add in the marinated prawns in a single layer.

Cook over low-medium heat for about 2 minutes. Flip the prawns to the other side and cook again for about 2 minutes.

Now increase the flame and cook for 1 minute on both the sides until the prawns are crisp and you get a charred patch on the prawns. Turn off the heat.

GIVING A SMOKY FLAVOR: (OPTIONAL STEP)

Heat a small piece of charcoal. Place it in the middle of the tawa. Add a few drops of mustard oil or ghee/butter onto the heat charcoal and immediately cover the tawa with a lid. Keep it covered for about 1-2 minutes. This method is called dhungar method which gives a smoky flavor to the dish.

NOTES:

* Use fresh prawns.
* Use tiger prawns or jumbo prawns
* You can use butter or ghee if mustard oil is unavailable to you.
*Use fresh curd or yogurt.

RECIPE CARD

HOW TO MAKE TANDOORI PRAWNS IN CHARCOAL TANDOOR

Take an iron skewer and thread the marinated prawns into the skewer one by one leaving small gaps in between them.

Now place the skewered prawns inside the preheated tandoor and cook for about 6-7 minutes. Apply some butter while cooking the prawns at regular intervals to keep them moist if necessary.

When the prawns become crisp, charred and cooked through from all sides remove them from the tandoor and remove the prawns from the skewer and serve hot.

HOW TO MAKE TANDOORI PRAWNS IN AN OVEN

Here’s how I made tandoori chicken in an oven. Please do check it out and give it a try.

Preheat the oven at 220° C for 10 minutes.

Brush marinated prawns with oil and grill/bake for 10 minutes. The baking or grilling time may vary depending on the size of prawns you are using.

Brush them with melted butter after cooking for that extra flavor if you like that, or serve them hot as it is.

Make this tandoori prawn recipe easily at home. You can grill or bake them in the oven or make them over a stove top on a tawa (griddle) or grill pan. This prawn recipe is easy to make whichever way.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

Serve the tawa tandoori prawns with green chutney along with raw onion and lemon slices

You can also serve it with lachha pyaaz (spiced onion salad). Take some onion slices, add in red chilli powder, salt, squeeze in some lemon juice, mix well and it’s ready to be served.

You can also serve it with salsa like I did. Mix together some diced onion, tomato, cucumber, green chilli, salt, crushed pepper, coriander leaves and lemon juice. Mix well and serve.

Serve it as an appetizer or snacks. You can also serve it along with your main course as a side dish.  It goes well with rice and any curry or dal as a side dish.

HOW LONG CAN YOU MARINATE PRAWNS FOR ?

Generally for any tandoori recipe it is best to marinate them for at least 3 to 4 hours to absorb all the flavors and especially for meat to tenderise the meat. As the prawns and other seafood doesn’t take much time to get cooked you can marinate for a shorter duration or for at least 20-30 minutes.

HOW LONG DO I NEED TO COOK PRAWNS ?

Cooking prawns is super easy and quick. It doesn’t take much time to cook. In charcoal tandoor it takes approximately 7 to 8 minutes to get cooked and in the oven also a maximum of 10 to 12 minutes is sufficient for cooking the prawns. Similarly in the pan it will take approximately 6 to 7 minutes.

CAN I USE FROZEN PRAWNS FOR THE RECIPE?

Yes, you can use frozen prawns for this recipe. But I would highly recommend fresh prawns for the best flavour and texture. If you are using frozen prawns make sure to thaw them properly and pat them dry nicely with a kitchen towel before marinating.

HOW TO THAW FROZEN PRAWNS?

There are 2 ways in which you can thaw frozen prawns. First one is If you are in a  hurry, take out the frozen prawns from the freezer and keep them in a bowl of water. Within a few minutes the frozen prawns will defrost and will be ready to use. The second way is to take out the frozen prawns from the freezer and just keep them in the refrigerator for sometime or overnight. This will thaw the prawns for using them the next day.

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All of these recipes are super easy to prepare, ready in no time, and will never disappoint you.

Well, if you make this tawa tandoori prawns recipe I’ll be glad if you take out some time and rate the recipe and leave a feedback in the comments box below. You can also snap a photo and tag Akum Raj Jamir on Facebook and akumrajjamir on Instagram with hashtag #atmykitchen. I would love to see your creations.

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. I hope you liked the recipe. Your valuable feedbacks are always welcome, I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every one of you.

Happy Cooking!
Love Akum