Go Back
–+ servings
Kadai Shrimp Featured Image.

Kadai Shrimp Recipe (North-Indian Style)

Tanvi Srivastava
Kadai Shrimp is a punjabi dish featuring succulent shrimp in a bold, aromatic sauce of onions, tomatoes, and freshly ground kadai masala.
No ratings yet
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

Preparation

  • 500 g shrimp I use extra large shrimp
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup onion cut into 1 inch cubes and petals seperated, you could use pearl onions
  • ½ cup green bell pepper cut into 1 inch cubes

For The Kadai Sauce

  • 4 tablespoon mustard oil or any cooking oil of choice
  • 1 medium bay leaf
  • ½ inch cinnamon stick cassia bark
  • 1 teaspoon garlic paste
  • ½ tablespoon ginger finely chopped
  • 2 green chilies , slit or halved I use indian green chilies which are very sharp, please adjust to taste
  • 150 g onion finely chopped
  • 2 medium(~¾ cup) fresh tomatoes I use roma tomatoes, finely chopped (I chop in food processor)
  • 2 tablespoon canned tomato sauce or tomato puree

Spice Powders

  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon red chili powder (medium hot), I use degi mirch
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
  • 1 teaspoon kasuri methi dry fenugreek leaves, skip if not available

For The Kadai Masala Blend

  • 3 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 4 dry red kashmiri chillies (hot) adjust to taste
  • ¼ fennel seeds
  • 3 cloves
  • 12-14 black peppercorns

Instructions
 

Prepare Ingredients

  • Add thawed shrimp to a large bowl and sprinkle ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and salt. Toss to coat and let stand.

Make the kadai Masala

  • Place a heavy bottomed kadai ( I use 3 qt cast iron balti dish) on stove on low heat.
  • Add cumin seeds, cloves, dry red chilies, coriander seeds, fennel seeds and black peppercorns. Dry roast the spices while stirring continuously until they release their aroma and appear toasty.
  • Transfer to a plate and let cool slightly. Then, grind the spices coarsely using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder(I use latter). Your kadai masala is ready. Set aside.

Stir fry the onion & peppers

  • In the same kadai, add 1 tablespoon mustard oil. Let heat to slightly smoky on low-medium heat.
  • Add the onion and bell pepper cubes. Stir fry for 1-3 minutes until the vegetables soften & appear charred slighly but still have a crunch. Take out on a plate and let stand.

Cook the onion tomato masala

  • Add the remaining oil to the kadai on medium heat and let warm up.
  • Temper the hot oil with bay leaf, cinnamon stick, green chillies, chopped ginger & garlic paste. Fry everything for a minute or so until the raw smell disappears taking care not to brown anything.
  • Add the finely chopped onions next. Sauté for 6-8 minutes on low medium heat until they turn golden brown.
  • Sprinkle the kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and half of the prepared kadai masala. Mix well and cook for a minute.
  • Now add the finely tomatoes and tomato sauce. Add salt and while regularly stirring, cook the tomatoes until the oil separates from the masala. Don't dry out the masala.
  • Lower the heat and add the marinated shrimp to the kadai. Mix well, coating the shrimp with the masala.
  • Let the shrimp cook on low heat for next 3-5 minutes or until they appear orange and are fully cooked. You could cover the kadai if you wish. If you want a slighly thin sauce, add ½ cup of warm water right now.
  • Once the shrimp is cooked through and appears opaque, sprinkle the remaining kadai masala, garam masala powder and kasuri methi. You can also add bit of lemon juice at this stage for added tang. Mix well.
  • Then add the onion and bell pepper chunks. Cook everything on low heat for 2-3 more minutes just to warm up the vegetables. Switch off the stove.
  • Garnish with cilantro. Serve warm.

Notes

  1. Serving - Kadai shrimp pairs well with indian flatbread or steamed basmati rice or jeera rice. Since this dish is on a dry side, you could prepare yellow dal as another side dish.
  2. Invest a few extra minutes and grind the kadai masala at home rather than using a store bought one. There is quite a huge difference in taste. 
  3. Use large or extra large shrimp so that they remain juicy after cooking with the sauce. Read more of my notes on shrimp selection in the post above.
  4. Take a lot of care of stove heat levels after you have added shrimp. Cook on low heat to make sure that shrimp stays juicy.
  5. Kadai shrimp is not supposed to have gravy, however if desired you can make it saucy by adding a bit of water to the curry. 
  6. More onions = More masala. If you are fan of more masala, increase the quantity of chopped onions while making the masala.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!