And the shrimp body is cooked just long enough so that it’s tender and juicy and coated with that thick, luscious sauce/gravy. It’s on of our favorite curry recipes! An easy recipe that can be adapted for any type of prawn or shrimp you have at hand. If you love shrimp curry, then I guarantee that this will be the best you’ve ever had! 🙂 Having grown up in an island with ready access to seafood, I’ve eaten shrimp often and in many different ways, but NEVER in a more deeply flavorful and aromatic way than this authentic Sri Lankan Prawn Curry (Shrimp Curry)! The flavors in this dish are unreal! I’ve actually made this recipe several times to be shared on the blog, but was never quite satisfied with the end result because the prawn curry wasn’t as authentic as I wanted it to be. The reason was that, while I could find shrimp that were peeled or unpeeled, I could never find shrimp that were whole. And therein lies the secret. 🙂 You can check out my guide here on how to clean shrimp in 5 different ways! The full depth of flavor of this prawn curry (shrimp curry) comes from the whole shrimp! And that includes the head of the shrimp, especially the head. But the good news is that even if you can’t find head-on shrimp, it’s OK! I’ve spent a lifetime eating shrimp curry, made with peeled, unpeeled, head-on, headless etc., and it still tastes rich and flavorful. And you can adapt this recipe to make a curry out of any kind of prawn or shrimp that you have access to. Another thing you’ll notice is that I use the terms prawn and shrimp interchangeably. They are both essentially the same, save for some minor anatomical differences (in terms of the number of legs and claws). Prawns are typically widely available in Sri Lanka (and in Australia and New Zealand as well). But in the US, you mostly find shrimp. But sometimes, it’s simply an issue with semantics as well. What’s called shrimp in the US, can often be referred to as prawns elsewhere. So regardless of what you have at hand – prawns or shrimp, this Sri Lankan prawn curry will work equally well. This particular recipe though is for authentic creamy, spicy, Sri Lankan prawn curry (shrimp curry) made with coconut milk! Another important thing is the curry powder that you use. For this recipe, it’s best to use a Sri Lankan curry powder (that is heavy on coriander). You’re welcome to use a store-bought curry powder, but remember that the curry powder is what makes a good curry. Thankfully, making your own curry powder isn’t difficult at all! I’ve shared my favorite Sri Lankan curry powder recipe right here. For this prawn curry, I used the unroasted version, but you can use either roasted or unroasted. I add some fennel spice to this shrimp curry too, because fennel pairs very well with seafood curries (but not with meat curries – I’m not sure why). To clean the shrimp/prawns, I made a separate post with a video on how to clean shrimp here. For this Sri Lankan prawn curry recipe, I’m removing (but NOT discarding) the heads, and peeling them as well. I’m also keeping the tail.
Pro tips to make the BEST Sri Lankan prawn curry (Sri Lankan shrimp curry)
The trick to making perfect Sri Lankan prawn curry (or any other shrimp curry) is to add the prawns/shrimp in at the very last minute, and give them just long enough to cook perfectly. This way they’ll be tender and juicy, and perfectly flavorful while being coated with that luscious thick sauce/gravy. Cook the shrimp heads first with the spices, onion, garlic and ginger so that you have an insanely flavorful curry base that has layers of flavor. Because I pan fry the shrimp heads first, they become crispy and caramelize slightly, adding another layer of flavor to the curry base. Some households actually blend the shrimp/prawn heads and strain it as the curry base. If you don’t use Shrimp heads, you can skip this step. This Sri Lankan shrimp curry (prawn curry) has a deliciously thick gravy/sauce that coats the shrimp generously. You can choose to keep it thick or add extra water to thin it out. I personally prefer a thick gravy. Just be sure to taste and season accordingly. Another variation is the spice level. Surprise, surprise, we LOVE it spicy! So we add a generous 2 tsp of cayenne pepper to this curry. But that’s ONLY if you like it spicy! Otherwise, adjust the level to your preference (I would recommend at least 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper). While paprika isn’t authentic to this Sri Lankan shrimp curry, it adds that classic red color of a good Sri Lankan prawn curry (never add smoked paprika, however). Curry leaves (karapincha in Sinhalese) and pandan leaves (rampe in Sinhalese) are strongly recommended, but again, if you can’t find a local Asian restaurant where those can be found, don’t worry about it. They do add a very distinct, herby flavor to the curry though.
If you can’t buy shrimp or prawns with the head, then you can get unpeeled ones, and add the shell first in place of the heads to make the curry base and coax out all that flavor (but you will have to remove the shells once they become nice and toasty). The shrimp heads really do take this curry to a whole new level. And since the shrimp cooks so quickly, there’s only a small time difference between this authentic version and the easy version (without cooking the heads first), so it is absolutely worth that extra little bit of time to make that heavenly shrimp curry (prawn curry) base. And I swear once you add the coconut milk and water and cook it down to a thick sauce/gravy, the aromas will set your salivary glands on fire! I hope you guys love this authentic Sri Lankan shrimp curry as much as I have all my life! It’s so easy, and there’s really no way you can mess it up. And once you learn the technique and take that little bit of extra time, your curries will go straight from wow this is so good to HOLY CRAP, where has this been all my life level! You can cook some steamed plain white rice or roti to accompany this dish, although I do like serving this with some veggies (like beans or cabbage) and coconut sambol too.
More flavor-packed curry recipes you’ll love
The best chicken curry! Authentic mutton curry (lamb curry) Black pork curry Beef curry Sri Lankan fish curry Spicy dry beef curry (devilled beef) Spicy Sri Lankan crab curry Sri Lankan meatball curry
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