I share a recipe for a very popular dish from my hometown: dry prawn mango, known as Konju Manga. It’s a delightful and flavorful stir-fry that holds a special place in my heart, not just for its taste, but also for the stories it carries. My home is in the Onattukara region where this dish is made on Chetikulangara Bharani Day
Preparing the Prawns and Mangoes
Let’s start with the main ingredients. Take about 50g of dry prawns. Heat them in a wok over medium flame for approximately 10 minutes until they become brittle. Once they’ve cooled, carefully remove the heads and tails from each prawn. To reduce the saltiness and soften them, soak the cleaned prawns in water for 20 minutes.
While the prawns are soaking, slice your mangoes. These should also be soaked in salt water for 20 minutes. This step is crucial for the unique flavor balance of the dish.
Crafting the Spice Blend
Now, for the heart of the Konju Manga – the spice blend. You’ll need half a grated coconut. While a manually grated coconut would have been ideal for a richer texture, mixer-grated works too.
Next, add turmeric powder. Be generous with it, as the vibrant yellow color is a key characteristic of this dish. For chili, I recommend starting with Kashmiri chili powder, which provides excellent color. If you prefer more heat, you can also add some spicy chili powder. Finish the blend with coriander powder.
I used onion instead of shallots, but shallots are a traditional choice if you have them. Coarsely grate all of them and add them to the coconut mixture.
The Cooking Process
For cooking, I used a hard-bottomed pan, specifically a cooker that doubles as a wok. Begin by adding the prepared prawns and mangoes to the pan. For an authentic Kerala taste, I highly recommend using bird’s eye chili. While it’s one of the hottest chilies in the world, its unique flavor elevates the dish. Three medium-sized chilies, thinly sliced, will suffice. If bird’s eye chilies are unavailable, regular green chilies will work. Add the sliced chilies to the grated coconut mixture.
Now, add plenty of fresh curry leaves and a touch of salt. Remember to taste and adjust the salt, as the dry prawns are already salty.
Gently blend all the ingredients – the mango, prawn, and the coconut-spice mixture. The ultimate taste of this dish comes from the perfect melding of all these flavors. Mix gently for 10 to 15 minutes.
I also added a little bit of coconut oil during the blending process. Once everything is well combined, place the wok on the flame, cover it, and cook on medium flame for 10 to 15 minutes. Add about 1 tablespoon of water. After the water has dried, open the lid. My mother always said, “Once the lid is open, do not close it again, or the texture will be lost!”
With the lid open, continue cooking on a low flame for another 10 minutes until the dish is perfectly done.
Ingredients
Dry Prawns – 50 g
Coconut – 1/2 of the whole
Mango – medium size 1
Shallots – 10 or onion – 1 small
Green Chilli or Bird’s Eye Chilli
Turmeric Powder
Chilli Powder
Coriander Powder
Cooking Procedure
Take a hard bottom pan, I took a cooker which doubles as a wok and then put a prawn into it. Put mangoes also into it and then take some bird’s eye chili.
I took bird’s eye chili because that would give an authentic taste to the Kerala recipe. It is the one of the hottest chili in the world but you can take the normal chili. Three of them of medium size. Cut the chilli in small slices and put them into the coconut grated coconut.
Add plenty of curry leaves and salt. Check the salt because the fish is salty already. Blend all the ingredients – the mango, the prawn and the coconut mix. The ultimate taste is the blending of all the ingredients. Mix gently for 10 minutes or 15 minutes.
Here I have added a little bit of coconut oil also and blended. Then I put the wok on the flame and closed and cooked on medium flame for 10 or 15 minutes. I added 1 tbsp of water.
After the water has dried I’ll open the lid. My mother says that once the lid is open do not close it again because the texture will be lost. Now with the lid open cook on a low flame for another 10 minutes.
And the dish has been perfectly done. This is the dish and it would have been better to use grated coconut. This is something close to the konju manga dish prepared on Chetikulangara Bharani day.
A Culinary Tale from Chetikulangara Bharani
This dish, especially when made with hand-grated coconut, is quite similar to the Konju Manga prepared on Chetikulangara Bharani day. This tradition has a fascinating story.
The Chetikulangara Kumbhabharani is a grand festival celebrated at the Chetikulangara temple, located between Kayamkulam and Thatarambalam. The procession, or Kuthiottam, has been a part of this festival for thousands of years. The legend says that once, during the festival, a lady was preparing prawn mango curry on a wooden hearth in her house along the Kayamkulam-Thatarambalam road. As the Chetikulangara festival procession passed by, she yearned to watch it. So, she prayed to Chetikulangara Bhagavathy, “Mother, please take care of my dish while I go and watch the procession.” To her astonishment, when she returned, the dish was perfectly cooked! Therefore, from that day onwards, the people of that area have prepared Konju Manga on Chetikulangara Bharani day.
The Magic of Stir-Fries and Nostalgia
This is how my mother used to introduce us to the wonderful world of stir-fries. As an unwritten rule, all our vegetables transformed into these delightful stir-fried creations. In Kerala, before breakfast, the rice for lunch often already prepared – hot and steaming. My mother would take out a plate of this hot, piping rice, add a generous portion of stir-fry beside it, and then place some freshly whipped butter in the middle of the rice. She would add a pinch of salt, cover the butter with the hot rice so it would melt, and then mix it all together. The rice would be so hot that I couldn’t mix it myself! Then, she would form the rice into small balls, which she called “bird’s eggs” – not chicken eggs, but small, delicate bird’s eggs – and give them to us.
Believe me, the taste of those stir-fries remains with us, keeping us connected to vegetables and evoking a sense of nostalgia. I encourage you to introduce stir-fries to your children. Once they develop a taste for vegetables this way, they’ll carry that appreciation into adulthood and beyond.
Thank you for joining me on this culinary journey. Do try this recipe and share your comments and criticisms. And please, like and share this recipe with your friends and family!