Whip up a delicious king prawn bhuna in just 25 minutes using juicy king prawns and storecupboard Indian spices.
This medium-hot curry is perfect for your next curry night feast and can be on the table in no time!
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This easy shrimp bhuna is a nice change from my usual go-to chicken curry.
The word "Bhuna" means "to fry," and that's exactly what you do. First, fry the chopped onion, garlic, ginger, and chili, followed by the Indian spices (most of which you likely already have in your pantry).
Then, add tomatoes, in this case in the form of passata, which creates a rich and spicy bhuna sauce that perfectly complements the sweet and juicy king prawns!
👩🍳 If you like medium hot curries, you should try my easy lamb balti next!
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🥘 Ingredients
Cooked King Prawns - if using frozen king prawns make sure they have been defrosted.
Onion - 1 small onion, chopped finely.
Garlic - 3 cloves finely chopped.
Ginger - 3cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated.
Chili - an authentic bhuna uses a green chili, but I only had red to hand, so that's what I used.
Coriander - finely chop the stalks to fry with the onion, and use the leaves to garnish the finished dish.
Spices - a medium-hot curry powder, cumin, garam masala, turmeric and ground coriander.
Passata - or use a tin of chopped tomatoes for a chunkier texture.
Mango Chutney - the sweetness of the mango chutney helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
Olive Oil - for frying.
Salt and Pepper - to season.
🔪 How to make king prawn bhuna
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Heat the oil in a frying pan or shallow casserole and fry the chopped onion, garlic, ginger, chili, and coriander stalks for 3 minutes.
Two: Add the spices and fry for a further 2 minutes.
Three: Pour in the passata and spoon in the mango chutney. Give everything a good mix and simmer on a medium low heat for 10 minutes.
Four: Add the cooked king prawns and warm through for 3-4 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and season with salt and pepper.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve the prawn bhuna with homemade pilau rice or turmeric rice, naan bread, and popadoms are tasty side dishes!
📖 Variations
- Swap the prawns for leftover roast chicken or beef.
- Make it veggie by using Quorn pieces instead of the king prawns.
- A sprinkling of toasted cashew nuts just before serving adds crunch and texture.
🥡 Storage
The prawn buna will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat thoroughly in the microwave before serving.
The curry can also be frozen for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating until piping hot in the microwave.
❓ FAQS
A bhuna is a medium-hot tomato based curry with no cream or coconut milk added.
The English translation of Balti is 'bucket' and Bhuna is 'fried'. Generally, balti's are drier and slightly less spicy than bhuna's.
King prawns are more authentic but you can swap for ordinary prawns, which are usually cheaper.
Defrost the frozen cooked king prawns overnight in your refrigerator.
😋Related recipes
More prawn recipes you might enjoy!
More curry recipes
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Recipe
Easy Prawn Bhuna
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Equipment
- Chopping Board
- Knife
- Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Onion peeled and finely chopped
- 3 Garlic Cloves peeled and finely chopped
- 3 cm Fresh Ginger peeled and grated
- 1 Chili deseeded and chopped
- 2 tablespoon Coriander Stalks finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon Medium-Hot Curry Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric
- ½ teaspoon Ground Coriander
- 400 g Passata
- 2 tablespoon Mango Chutney
- 375 g Cooked King Prawns if frozen defrost before use
- 1 tablespoon Coriander Leaves chopped
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a frying pan or shallow casserole and fry the chopped onion, garlic, ginger, chili, and coriander stalks for 3 minutes.1 tablespoon Olive Oil, 1 Onion, 3 Garlic Cloves, 3 cm Fresh Ginger, 1 Chili, 2 tablespoon Coriander Stalks
- Add the spices and fry for a further 2 minutes.2 tablespoon Medium-Hot Curry Powder, 1 teaspoon Cumin, 1 teaspoon Garam Masala, ½ teaspoon Turmeric, ½ teaspoon Ground Coriander
- Pour in the passata and spoon in the mango chutney. Give everything a good mix and simmer on a medium low heat for 10 minutes.400 g Passata, 2 tablespoon Mango Chutney
- Add the cooked king prawns and warm through for 3-4 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and season with salt and pepper.375 g Cooked King Prawns, 1 tablespoon Coriander Leaves, Salt and Pepper
Notes
- Swap the prawns for leftover roast chicken or beef.
- Make it veggie by using quorn pieces instead of the king prawns.
- A sprinkling of toasted cashew nuts just before serving adds crunch and texture.
Wanda says
This dish sounds so delicious, what an awesome combination of flavours! Bookmarking!
Rachna says
Oh my what a delicious dish! I love prawns and Indian curries are my favourite. I am surely trying this out soon.
Sharon Chen says
Delicious! I will definitely serve this for our family dinner soon.
Michelle says
I love all of the flavors in this simple dish, and the shrimp are cooked perfectly
Mike says
Well flavoured easy to make Bhuna style sauce. Can I suggest that the medium curry powder be reduced from 2 to 1 tablespoon. I love hot curries but Bhuna should not be this hot. Thanks for a great easy to cook - goto recipe which is delicious.
chris baker says
Made this one the 10th August and it was a real treat flavoursome and easy to make and the spices were just right.
Brian Chapman says
Made this tonight.... 'twas lush. 🙂
Beth Sachs says
Glad you enjoyed it Brian!
David Miller says
Beth, is your easy prawn curry two tablespoons of medium curry powder, plus the other powdered spices.
Beth Sachs says
Hi David, yes that's correct. Enjoy!