Royyala Iguru

Before you start

• Toss the prawns with 1/4 tsp turmeric and 1/2 tsp salt and leave them 15 minutes, then rinse and pat them completely dry.
• Chop the onion finer than feels necessary — iguru is a dry curry and the masala has to melt into a coating, not sit in lumps.
• Have everything cut and measured before you start; from the moment the prawns go in you have four minutes.

Method

1. Heat the oil in a kadhai over medium-high heat and fry the onion for 10 minutes, until soft and browning at the edges.
2. Add the garlic, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves and cook 2 minutes until the garlic loses its raw edge.
3. Add the tomato and cook 8 minutes, mashing it down, until it is completely broken and the oil starts to show at the sides.Iguru has no added water, so all the moisture must come out of the tomato now.
4. Stir in the chilli powder, coriander powder, remaining turmeric and crushed pepper and fry 2 minutes on low heat.
5. Add the salt and cook the masala another 3 minutes until it is thick enough to hold the mark of a spoon.
6. Raise the heat to high, tip in the dried prawns and stir them through the masala for 3 to 4 minutes, until they curl into loose Cs and turn opaque coral.Prawns go from tender to rubbery in about 60 seconds. A tight O shape means you have gone too far.
7. Take the pan off the heat and sprinkle over the garam masala.
8. Squeeze in the lemon juice, scatter the coriander leaves and toss once.Lemon off the heat only — boiled, it goes bitter and flat.

Storage

Best eaten the day it is made. It keeps 1 day refrigerated; reheat quickly in a hot pan for 90 seconds rather than a slow simmer, which overcooks the prawns. Do not freeze.