Prawn Bhuna Recipe

A steel bowl containing prawn curry, cube bell pepper and sprinkle with coriander.

5 from 13 votes

Indian restaurant style prawn bhuna curry recipe made with king prawns, and aromatic bhuna sauce. So simple and easy to make with everyday cupboard-friendly ingredients. Serve with plain rice or naan. Dinner ready in 20 minutes.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: British Indian, Indian

Servings: - 4

Calories: 327kcal

Author: Khin

Ingredients

400 g King prawns About 14oz, peeled and deveined
1 Green Pepper Cut small squares
3-4 Shallot onions Finely chopped
4 cloves Garlic Grated or finely chopped
3-4 Tomatoes Ripen vine tomatoes, finely chopped
2 tsp Tomato puree Tomato paste or concentrate
2-3 Green chilli Cut thin slices
3 tbsp Cooking oil Vegetable or neutral flavour oil
1 tsp Salt
handful Coriander Roughly chopped
1 cup Water

Spices

1½ tsp Chilli powder Or paprika powder ( see details in note )
½ tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Curry powder Mild/hot Indian curry powder ( see details in note )
½ tsp Coriander powder
¼ tsp Cumin powder

Instructions

Heat the pan into medium heat, drizzle 3 tablespoons of oil and saute the onions are 2-3 minutes until soft. Then add the garlic and stir for another 2-3 minutes until the onions are light brown.
Next, add the chopped tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are reduced and colour changed. ( It usually takes about 3-4 minutes to soften and reduce the tomatoes. ) Then add the tomato puree and follow with the spices, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and salt. Stir it well for few seconds.
Pour the water in, and bring it to simmer. Then add the king prawns and cook for another 3-4 minutes and follow with the bell peppers. Cook until the prawns and peppers are cooked through.
Make a taste test and add more salt or water according to your preference.
Turn off the heat and sprinkle chopped coriander. Transfer to serving plate and serve immediately with plain rice, naan, or chapati.

Notes

Prawns - You can use regular prawns, shrimp, king prawns, jumbo prawns, or tiger prawns for this recipe. Make sure prawns are peeled and deveined.
Instead of prawns - Fish fillets, squid, boneless chicken thigh or breast can be also used. Hard-boiled eggs, mushrooms, paneer, or firm tofu goes well with this bhuna sauce too.
Shallots - Shallot onions are ideal for cooking curry. If you cannot get shallot, use regular brown onions, baby onions, or red onions available.
Curry powder - We usually use Indian mild Madras curry powder for this recipe. You can use any mild/hot Indian curry powder according to your preference. If you prefer a more strong pungent curry flavour, you can add garam masala instead of curry powder.
Chilli powder - Chilli powder brings both colour and flavour to the dish. Spiciness can be adjusted by adding more or less chilli powder. Or you can add paprika powder instead of chilli powder if you prefer the mild curry flavour.
Water - Bhuna curry is usually is prawns or meat cooked in a thick sauce and do not contain lots of water. But you can always adjust the sauce consistency to your preference when you make it at home.
Can you make it ahead? Yes, this recipe can be prepared ahead, and also fridge and freezer friendly. Once the curry is cooked, allow it to cool, store it in an air-tight container. Keep in fridge or freezer for later use. It usually lasts in the fridge for a couple of days and in the freezer for a couple of months.
How to reheat it? Add a splash of water and stir it well if the sauce is too thick. Then simply reheat it over the stovetop or in the microwave until piping hot. Add extra chopped spring onions and green chilli just before serving.

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