Chemmeen Mulakittathu-a bold and spicy shrimp curry captures the fiery soul of Kerala's coastal cuisine, and is as vibrant in flavor as it is in color. Simmered in a rich blend of tomatoes, tamarind juice, pearl onions, garlic, and ginger with minimal spices, mainly red chili powder, this beloved staple brings together the warmth of home-cooked comfort with the punch of coastal heat. Pair it with steamed rice or flaky rotis, every bite is a taste of tradition, deeply satisfying and unapologetically spicy!
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Why will you love this curry?
- Perfect with Rice or Rotis: This versatile curry pairs wonderfully with steamed rice for a comforting meal or with soft rotis for a hearty dinner; either way, it's a winner on your plate just like the Chemmeen Ularthiyathu or Kerala style prawn curry or prawns goan curry.
- Vibrant, Not Overwhelming: The use of Kashmiri chili powder gives the curry its signature deep red color without making it too spicy. It's a great option for those who love bold flavors but prefer a milder heat.
- Balanced, Bold Flavors: The natural sweetness of ripe tomatoes, the subtle tang from tamarind, and the gentle warmth of the chili powder create a beautifully balanced curry that's both comforting and irresistibly flavorful.
- This dish is proof that you don't need a long list of ingredients, just like when we made Payar thoran, cabbage thoran, olan, stir fry asparagus, or aviyal, to create something truly special.
Ingredients you will need
- Shrimp de-veined and de-shelled
- Medium-sized tomatoes made into paste,
- Veggies: Shallots (halved or sliced), ginger, garlic, green chilies, curry leaves, coriander leaves.
- Spices - Kashmiri red chilly powder, Turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- Vegetable oil or coconut oil
How to make Chemmeen Mulakittathu - Spicy Shrimp Curry?
Take a deep-bottomed pan and heat the coconut oil, add the cut shallots, green chilies(optional), ginger, garlic, and sauté well. Add turmeric, chili powder, and salt.
- Step 1: Sautee pearl onions, ginger, garlic, and green chillies in coconut oil until they wilt.
- Step 2: Add the spices as tolerated.
Blend tomatoes and add the paste to this.
- Step 3: Sautee well
- Step 4: Add tomato paste and mix all the ingredients.
Add tamarind juice and cook till the raw smell disappears.
- Step 5: Keep cooking until the oil leaves the sides of the pan.
- Step 6: Add a little tamarind water.
Add the cleaned and deveined shrimp and continue cooking till done.. The consistency should be thick. Next, add a pinch of fennel powder (optional) and garam masala(optional), some sprigs of curry leaves, and finally, garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Add a tablespoon of coconut oil to this to enhance all the flavors.
- Step 5: Add the shrimp and adjust the salt as necessary.
- Step 6: Cook until done. Reduce the gravy so it becomes thick.
Useful Tips
- If your tomatoes are ripe and naturally tangy, feel free to skip the tamarind juice-the curry will still have the perfect level of acidity. If you do use tamarind, add just a small amount to avoid overpowering the other flavors. Balance is key!
- Use Kashmiri chili powder to give the curry its signature vibrant red color without adding too much heat. For a spicier kick, you can combine regular red chili powder with Kashmiri chili powder-this way, you get both the color and the heat, adjusted to your taste.
- Coconut oil adds an authentic, rich flavor that complements the spices beautifully-it's the traditional choice for this dish. However, if you prefer a more neutral option, avocado oil works well too.
- The traditional way of making is directly boiling the pearl onions, garlic, ginger, and tomatoes in the tamarind extracted water along with the spices, and then adding the shrimp and reducing the gravy, and finally drizzling with a teaspoon of coconut oil. and signature Kerala aroma.
- While the traditional method skips sautéing, it still delivers the same rich, flavorful curry, simple, soulful, and delicious.
If you are looking for more recipes with shrimp, do check out the Shrimp Thai fried rice or Shrimp in red chili tomato sauce.
Related Recipes
If you tried this Chemmeen Mulakittathu Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and a 📝 comment below. I love hearing from you!
Chemmeen Mulakittathu
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp de-veined and de-shelled washed in salt water
- 4-5 medium-sized tomatoes made into paste
- 10 shallots halved or ½ onion sliced
- 2 tbsp ginger cut into small pieces
- 2 tbsp garlic cut into small pieces
- 4 tsp Red chilly powder Kashmiri
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
- 2 green chilies optional
- ¼ tsp fennel powder optional
- ¼ tsp garam masala optional
- 2 curry leaves stalks
- 1 tbsp coriander leaves
- salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil or coconut oil
Instructions
- Take a small lemon-sized tamarind ball in a cup of water.
- Squeeze and strain the tamarind juice.
- Take a deep bottomed pan and heat up coconut oil .
- Add the cut shallots, green chilies, ginger, garlic to it
- Add turmeric, chilly powder, and salt.
- Add tomato paste and cook well.
- Add the tamarind juice and cook until the raw smell disappears.
- Add the shrimp and continue boiling until cooked.
- The consistency should be thick.
- Add the sprig of curry leaves.
- Drizzle a tbsp of vegetable or coconut oil (optional) if you like.
- Garnish with coriander leaves.
- Serve with Rotis or rice! Enjoy.
Notes
- If your tomatoes are ripe and naturally tangy, feel free to skip the tamarind juice-the curry will still have the perfect level of acidity. If you do use tamarind, add just a small amount to avoid overpowering the other flavors. Balance is key!
- Use Kashmiri chili powder to give the curry its signature vibrant red color without adding too much heat. For a spicier kick, you can combine regular red chili powder with Kashmiri chili powder-this way, you get both the color and the heat, adjusted to your taste.
- Coconut oil adds an authentic, rich flavor that complements the spices beautifully-it's the traditional choice for this dish. However, if you prefer a more neutral option, avocado oil works well too.
Nutrition
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This was so good with roti and my family enjoyed it, will be making it more often.
Very appealing colour !!
Thank you so much Jyo!
Looks amazing Nisha. You are very lucky to have grown all those beautiful tomatoes. Will have to try this recipe, I love chilli. Lorelle 🙂
Thank you so much Lorelle! Yes indeed we were lucky to get so many tomatoes !! Hope you will try it sometime and I would love to hear how it turns out 🙂
👍🏼
Looks so tasty!!
Thank you so much Archana! It was tasty indeed .
Those prawns look so tasty. Love all of the flavors in that dish (:
Thank you so much , glad you liked all the flavors in the dish and it is indeed tasty!
Wow...This is looking so delicious..
Thank you so much Anshu!