Koliwada Prawns – Fried Shrimp Marinated with Spices

Last Updated on February 24, 2021 by Babita

Koliwada Prawns is a deep-fried battered shrimp that is marinated with simple spices. It is served as an appetizer or starter and is popular in most Mumbai (Bombay) restaurants. It is served best with a cold beer and drinks.

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What are Prawns?

Oxford dictionary defines prawns as “a marine crustacean that resembles a large shrimp, many varieties of which are edible”. Prawns is the word used to describe large shrimp. If you go to restaurants in India, you will commonly see the word prawn used on their menus. Prawns are nothing but large juicy shrimps. However, in the US we don’t use the word prawns at all. We call them shrimps. When I came to the US, I too was confused in the beginning. I would search for Prawns in the stores and find shrimps. It took some time to get used to calling Prawns shrimps :). Since this is an authentic Indian recipe, I thought it best to refer to its classic name Koliwada Prawns or Prawn Koliwada

What is the Origin of Koliwada Prawns

Prawn Koliwada originated in a small fishing village of Sion in Mumbai. For a long time, I assumed that the recipe was created by the fisher folks of Sion Koliwada (fishing village). However, through my google research, I found out that it was invented by a North Indian Sikh gentleman by the name of Hukamchand Singh Julka and was believed to have been first prepared and served there (Sion Koliwada) in 1955. Over the years, people have added their own ingredients and improvised the recipe. My recipe for koliwada prawn is pretty simple. Most of the ingredients are easy to find and available in most Indian homes.

Size of Shrimps to Use for Koliwada Prawn recipe

For this recipe, I have used 16/20 per/lb size of shrimps. You need large shrimps. You can either use this size or larger. Of course, larger shrimps will be more expensive. I found 16/20 per/lb shrimps perfect for this recipe.

Ingredients for Koliwada Prawns

• 20 large shrimps (approx 1 lb)
• 3 tbsp besan (gram flour)
• 1 tsp small dry shrimp (optional)
• 1 tbsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp mango powder
• 1 tbsp of lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1/4 tsp chaat masala (optional)
• salt as per taste
• few drops of red color (optional)

Instructions to Marinate the Shrimp

• Clean and de-vein the shrimps. Rinse it under running water. Drain and set aside in a mixing bowl.

• Add chickpea flour, small dry shrimps, red chili powder, ginger-garlic paste, mango powder, lemon juice, salt, food color directly over the shrimps.
• Mix them thoroughly until all the shrimps are equally coated with this marinade.

• Set it aside to marinate for half an hour.

• Heat oil in a frying pan or Kadhai. Add shrimps in batches into the hot oil and deep fry for about 2 to 3 mins or until done.
• Drain on some paper towels.

• Garnish with some chopped coriander leaves and serve warm.
• If you want you can even lightly sprinkle over some chaat masala.

Notes to Enhance the Flavor of Fried Shrimp

• If you see above in the ingredients list, I have included small dry shrimps. I add these shrimps to enhance the umami flavor. Since most of the shrimps available here in the US are farm-raised, they lack the unique taste of the sea. Adding dry shrimps makes up for it. It is okay if you don’t want to add dry shrimps.
• As with many Indian appetizers, color is important, so a few drops of red coloring makes it attractive to our eyes. If you don’t want to use food coloring, it is okay to skip it.
• I have used regular chili powder for this recipe. However, if you want it less spicy, you can use Kashmiri chili powder. Not only is it less spicy, but it will also add vibrant color to the marinade

Notes about Besan (Gram Flour) and Mango Powder:

Gram Flour is known as Besan in Hindi. It is made from chana daal which is split brown chickpeas. It is easily available in all Indian stores and also on Amazon. You will probably find it cheaper in Indian stores (see pic below).

Mango powder is known as Amchur powder in Hindi. This powder is mostly used to add a tangy taste. You can find mango/amchur powder in all Indian stores as well as on Amazon (see pic below).