Prawn Doopiaja Pittas
Crispy fried pastry pockets filled with spiced prawn curry in the doopiaja style, featuring prawns cooked with onions, mustard oil, and aromatic spices. These savory hand pies are best served hot.
Ingredients
- 2 cups All-purpose flour (For pie crust pastry)
- 6 tablespoons Butter, cold and cubed (For pie crust)
- 0.5 teaspoon Salt (For pastry)
- 4 tablespoons Cold water (For pastry dough)
- 3 tablespoons Mustard oil (About 1.5 chittacks; can substitute vegetable oil)
- 4 teaspoons Onions, finely ground or grated (For the spice paste)
- 1 teaspoon Ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Ground chilies or chili powder (Adjust to taste)
- 0.25 teaspoon Garlic, ground or minced
- 12 whole Small onions, sliced lengthways (Cut each into 6-8 slices)
- 1 cup Water (For cooking prawns)
- 12 whole Large prawns, cleaned and deveined (Heads removed, parboiled)
- 1 teaspoon Coriander seed, unroasted (Optional, for extracting prawn head substance)
- 1 teaspoon Salt (To taste)
- 2 cups Ghee or vegetable oil (For deep frying pittas)
More recipes using Prawns
Prawn Doopiaja
A traditional Bengali prawn curry cooked with double the amount of onions (doopiaja means 'double onions'), featuring prawns in a spiced mustard oil gravy with sliced curry onions.
Prawn Doopiaja Loaf
A hollowed-out bread loaf filled with spiced prawn curry, baked until golden brown. This impressive presentation combines crusty bread with a flavorful prawn filling.
Prawn Malay Doopiaja
A Malaysian-style prawn curry with caramelized onions, aromatic spices, and coconut milk. The doopiaja method features twice-cooked onions - fried and then simmered - creating a rich, flavorful sauce.
Prawn Malay Doopiaja
A Malay-style prawn curry featuring large prawns cooked in a rich onion-based sauce with coconut milk and aromatic spices. The doopiaja method involves frying onions twice - once sliced and fried, then chopped and simmered into the curry.
Instructions
- 1In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add cold water gradually and mix until dough comes together. Form into a ball, wrap, and refrigerate.
- 2Clean and thoroughly wash the prawns, removing heads and deveining. Bring a pot of salted water to boil and parboil the prawns for 2-3 minutes until just pink. Drain and set aside.
- 3In a small bowl, combine the ground onions, turmeric, chili powder, and garlic to form a paste. Set aside.
- 4Heat mustard oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the sliced curry onions and fry until they begin to soften and turn golden, about 5-6 minutes.
- 5Add the prepared spice paste to the pan with the onions. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes until the raw smell disappears and oil begins to separate.
- 6Add the parboiled prawns to the pan and stir to coat with the spice mixture. Add 1 cup of water and salt to taste. Bring to a boil.
- 7Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and prawns are fully cooked. The mixture should be fairly dry, not soupy.
- 8Remove the prawn doopiaja from heat and let it cool completely. The filling must be cool before assembling the pittas.
- 9Remove the chilled pastry from refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into circles the size of saucers (about 5-6 inches in diameter).
- 10Place one tablespoon of the cooled prawn doopiaja filling in the center of each pastry circle. Fold the pastry over to form a half-moon shape and press the edges firmly to seal. Crimp with a fork if desired.
- 11In a deep pan or kadhai, heat ghee or oil over medium-high heat to 350°F (175°C). The oil should be deep enough to submerge the pittas.
- 12Carefully slide 2-3 pittas into the hot ghee. Fry for 3-4 minutes, turning once, until golden brown on both sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining pittas.
- 13Serve the prawn doopiaja pittas immediately while hot and crispy. They are best enjoyed fresh from frying.
