Prawn Dhansak Recipe

Prawn Dhansak Recipe
Note – This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy via these, I may earn a small fee. This has absolutely no effect on the price you pay. As an eBay and Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

I created this prawn dhansak recipe as dhansak is one of my Indian restaurant favourites. While a chicken curry is a go-to for many people, I adore the salty, succulent flavour and texture of prawns. I make mine as a King prawn dhansak, but smaller or even bigger prawns will do.

This recipe for dhansak is really pretty healthy, and it delivers on flavour too. I’m happy with this as an alternative to ordering a takeaway. Plus this prawn and lentil curry is far cheaper to knock up at home, and doesn’t take long – assuming you allow enough simmering time for the lentils to turn mushy.

Is this an authentic dhansak recipe? I don’t know, as I simply tried to recreate the flavours. It’s based on my chicken dhansak recipe, but with a few slight tweaks which I think complement the prawns more effectively. Feel free to add your own twists by swapping shallots for onion or the spices for curry paste.

This prawn and lentil dhansak recipe serves 4

Prawn Dhansak recipe ingredients

  • Vegetable oil, for frying
  • Shallots, 2 to 4, chopped
  • Red lentils, dried, 200g
  • Chicken or vegetable stock pot or cube
  • Passata, 1 carton
  • Tomato puree, 1 tbsp
  • Garlic paste, 1 tsp
  • Ginger paste, 1 tsp
  • Garam masala, 2 tsp
  • Chilli powder or flakes, a pinch
  • Bay leaf, 1
  • Sugar, 1-2 tsp, to taste
  • Frozen King prawns, 2 bags (about 350g)

Equipment

How to make this prawn dhansak recipe

  • Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan and add the shallot. Cook, stirring, until it has softened.
  • Make up the stock pot or cube as per pack directions. Add the lentils to the pan and cook for a minute or so, stirring well. Next, put over the stock and stir again.
  • Add other ingredients to the pan, stir well and then simmer gently until the lentils have softened. After about 30 minutes, add the prawns and stir again.
  • Simmer for around 15 to 30 minutes longer until the lentils have softened sufficiently.
  • You may need to add extra water as this dhansak dish cooks, as the lentils do soak up a lot.

Serve with rice and/or naan bread.

Related recipes:

You can also find over 90 dinner ideas in this post.

Note – This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy via these, I may earn a small fee. This has absolutely no effect on the price you pay. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

Filed Under: Curry, Fish