Easy prawn tikka masala with carrot and mint raita

My healthy take on the UK’s best-loved curry combines yoghurt, sweet cherry tomatoes and beautifully plump king prawns. The raita is the perfect partner for your onion bhajis and poppadoms.

Everyone has their go-to tikka masala recipe – this is mine. I make no apologies for using ready-made curry paste or paying that little bit extra for king prawns. This is the ultimate Saturday night fakeaway dish, so we’re marrying convenience with serious flavour which is where the tinned cherry tomatoes come in.

My healthy twist comes from using Greek yoghurt, which is lighter on your waistline and wallet than heavy cream. Buy a big tub and you can use the leftovers to make my homemade raita to serve alongside a pile of poppadoms and onion bhajis.

How To Make Prawn Tikka Masala With Carrot And Mint Raita

• Chef Catling’s recipe notes
• Recipe: Easy prawn tikka masala with carrot and mint raita
• Frequently asked questions

Tips & Notes To Know

• Frozen seafood does not mean inferior: Frozen prawns are not only cheaper than fresh, but they are often better quality as they are frozen soon after being caught or harvested. To cook with, simply thaw the prawns in the fridge or under cold running water. Just remember to pat dry with kitchen roll before pan-frying, otherwise they’ll steam, rather than colour.
• Devein your prawns: It’s a bit of a faff, but it is worth removing the dark vein on the back of the prawn as it can taste gritty or bitter if left in.
• Watch for curdling: Yoghurt can split if heated too quickly or at high temperatures. To prevent this, mix the Greek yoghurt with a little of the sauce in a bowl, then gradually stir it back into the rest of the curry off the heat.

Easy prawn tikka masala with carrot and mint raita

Serves: 4 Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 45 mins 45 mins

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Ingredients

For the tikka masala
1 tbsp butter
1 large white onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
100g tikka curry paste
2 tbsp tomato purée
1/2 x 400g tinned cherry tomatoes
400ml fish stock
1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks
2 x 180g pack raw king prawns, deveined
125g Greek yoghurt (0% fat)
1 tsp nigella seeds
Fresh coriander, leaves to garnish

For the raita
250g Greek yoghurt (0% fat)
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
2 tsp mint sauce

Instructions

Step 1
To make the carrot and mint raita, mix the Greek yogurt with the grated carrot and mint sauce. Season to taste and chill until needed.

Step 2
Heat the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat and sauté the sliced onion for 20 minutes or until softened and nicely caramelised.

Step 3
Add the tikka curry paste with the garlic and ginger paste and tomato purée and stir-fry for 3 minutes to cook out the rawness of the spices.

Step 4
Pour in the cherry tomatoes and use the fish stock to wash out the can before adding to the sauce. Bring the curry to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and stir in the red pepper chunks. Cook uncovered for 10-15 minutes until nicely thickened.

Step 5
Add the prawns and simmer gently for 3-4 minutes until the prawns are pink and cooked through. Take the pan off the heat and carefully stir through the Greek yoghurt.

Step 6
Divide the prawn tikka masala between bowls and garnish with nigella seeds and a few coriander leaves. Serve with the carrot and mint raita, pilau rice and my healthy onion bhajis, if liked.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Buy Sustainable Prawns?

Look for the Marine Stewardship Council Certification (MSC). The label identifies fish and seafood that has been caught in a sustainable way.

The best choices are updated every six months on mcsuk.org. You will usually see the blue tick logo on the packaging. If you can’t see it, ask your fishmonger.

How Do I Stop Prawns From Overcooking And Shrivelling Up?

Prawns curl up because of muscle contractions on their abdomen. To prevent this, make two tiny incisions – about 1/4 inch deep – with a sharp knife on the underside of each prawn.

The safe internal temperature of a cooked prawn is 63C, as per the USDA, but that’s really just a reference. Your best indicator for whether a prawn is fully cooked or not is colour. A raw prawn is translucent grey, but when it is cooked it turns opaque white with tinges of pink and orange.

What Curry Paste Should I Use?

My advice – as with everything – is to always read the label. If you haven’t heard of some of the ingredients listed, you should maybe question whether this is something you want to be putting into your body.

Supermarket shelves can be a bit of a minefield, but I tend to use brands like Spice Tailor and Mae Ploy which use only natural ingredients without any artificial colours, MSG or preservatives.

What’s The Difference Between Plum And Canned Chopped Tomatoes?

Canned tomatoes are picked at their ripest and retain more texture than passata because they are less processed. Canned cherry tomatoes are highly prized because of their wonderfully sweet flavour, while whole peeled ‘plum’ tomatoes are generally favoured over chopped tomatoes because they are the most versatile and fuller in flavour.

It is true that you get what you pay for, so try and seek out the best quality tomatoes to produce a richer and more flavourful sauce.

What Is Raita?

Raita is a quick and refreshing Indian side dish, made from unsweetened yoghurt, fresh herbs and finely-diced vegetables or fruit (think cucumber, carrot or mango).

Traditionally, it is served as a cooling condiment to complement a spicy curry or biriyani, but why stop there? One of my favourite recipes uses a cucumber raita in my spin on a prawn sandwich, made with crab.