Fresh prawns cooked with coconut, goda masala and rice into a one-pot prawn rice preparation — the coastal Maharashtrian version of prawn rice eaten in the fishing communities of Ratnagiri, Alibag and Murud-Janjira on the Konkan coast.
Ingredients
300 g small prawns — shelled and deveined
2 cups basmati rice — washed and soaked 20 minutes
3 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds, 10 curry leaves
2 onions — finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger paste, 1 tbsp garlic paste
2 tomatoes — finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh grated coconut
1.5 tsp goda masala (or 1 tsp coriander powder + 1/4 tsp cinnamon + 1/4 tsp clove)
1 tsp red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric
3.5 cups water, salt
coriander leaves
Method
Heat oil: Heat 3 tbsp oil in a wide, heavy pot. Add mustard seeds — pop. Add curry leaves.
Add tomatoes: Add tomatoes and cook 5 minutes until soft.
Add spices: Turn low. Add goda masala, red chilli powder and turmeric. Stir 2 minutes.
Add prawns: Add the prawns. Cook on medium heat stirring 3 minutes until they turn pink.
Add fresh coconut: Add grated coconut. Stir 1 minute — the coconut coats everything and the moisture in it begins to cook.
Add soaked rice and water: Add the drained rice. Stir gently to combine with the prawn-coconut masala. Add 3.5 cups water and salt.
Cook covered: Bring to a boil. Reduce to the lowest heat. Cover and cook 20 minutes.
Rest and serve: Turn off heat. Rest 5 minutes. Fluff gently. Scatter coriander. Serve with coastal kokum-based drinks.
Note: Kolambi Bhaat (kolambi = prawn in Marathi, bhaat = rice) is the everyday celebration meal of the fishing communities along the Konkan coast — made when the catch is good and prawns are plentiful. The use of fresh grated coconut cooked into the rice (rather than coconut milk) is the specifically Konkan technique — it gives the rice a grainy, textured coconut character rather than the creamy character of coconut milk. Ratnagiri district is famous for both its Alphonso mangoes and its coastal prawn preparations.