Prawns cooked until completely dry in a thick masala of fried onion, tomato, ginger-garlic and Andhra spice powder — an intensely spiced, almost dry prawn preparation that is eaten as a side dish with rice rather than as a gravy. The dryness concentrates the prawn flavour into the masala.
Ingredients
400 g medium prawns — shelled, deveined
1/2 tsp turmeric + salt for marinating
3 tbsp oil
2 onions — very finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger paste, 1 tbsp garlic paste
2 tomatoes — finely chopped
2 tsp red chilli powder (the Andhra-Telangana version uses more chilli)
1 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp garam masala, salt
10 curry leaves, coriander leaves
Method
Marinate prawns: Rub with turmeric and salt. Rest 10 minutes.
Heat oil: Heat 3 tbsp oil in a wide pan.
Cook onions until deep golden: Cook finely chopped onions for 15 minutes until very deep golden.
Add ginger and garlic: Cook 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes: Cook 6 minutes until completely soft and oil separates.
Add spice powders: Turn low. Add red chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric. Stir 2 minutes. The masala should be very thick, almost dry.
Add prawns: Add marinated prawns and curry leaves. Stir on high heat for 3 to 4 minutes — the prawns cook rapidly.
Cook completely dry: Continue cooking on medium heat, stirring every minute, for 5 to 6 more minutes. Any liquid from the prawns must completely evaporate. The goal is a completely dry preparation where the thick masala coats each prawn.
Add garam masala: Add garam masala. Stir.
Serve: Scatter coriander leaves. Serve as a dry side dish alongside rice and dal — not as a gravy.
Note: Royyala Iguru (royyala = prawns, iguru = dry-cooked preparation in Telugu) is the Telangana-Andhra style of cooking prawns completely dry — the iguru technique (cooking until all liquid evaporates and the masala dries around the ingredient) is used for many Andhra preparations and produces a more concentrated, intense flavour than gravy-based cooking. Served as a side dish rather than a main curry, a small amount of royyala iguru alongside plain rice dal is the standard way of eating in coastal Andhra-Telangana households.