Kismur

Before you start

• Pick over the dried prawns for grit and shell fragments, then rinse them twice in cold water and squeeze dry. They are salty, so hold back on salt until the end.
• Soak the tamarind in 2 tbsp hot water and press out the pulp.
• Everything is combined off the heat, so have the onion chopped and the coconut grated before you turn on the stove.

Method

1. Dry-roast the drained prawns in a kadhai over medium heat 4-5 minutes until they are crisp and rattle in the pan.They must be properly dry and brittle. Any softness left and the kismur goes soggy within the hour.
2. Tip them onto a plate to cool, then crush lightly with your fingers into coarse pieces.
3. In the same pan warm the coconut oil and fry the broken dried chillies 30 seconds until they darken.
4. Add the grated coconut and toast 3-4 minutes, stirring, until it is dry and pale gold at the edges.Only lightly toasted. Kismur wants the fresh sweetness of coconut, not the deep roast of a tonak masala.
5. Stir in the chilli powder and turmeric and take the pan off the heat immediately.
6. Let the coconut cool to room temperature, then fold in the crushed prawns, chopped onion and green chilli.
7. Add the tamarind pulp and toss thoroughly with your hands. Taste, then salt. The prawns may have brought enough.
8. Finish with coriander leaves and serve within a couple of hours, while the onion is still crunchy.

Safe temperatures: Fish is done at 63°C / 145°F, or when it turns opaque and flakes easily. Reheat leftovers to 74°C / 165°F. FoodSafety.gov

Storage

Best within 2 hours of mixing. It keeps 2 days refrigerated but the onion softens and weeps; refresh with a little extra raw onion and tamarind before serving.