Ingredients

• (serves 2–3)
• 1 lb prawns (shrimp), peeled and deveined
• 1 tbsp LXV Garam Chai spice blend
• 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 sprig curry leaves (or about 8–10 leaves)
• Salt, to taste
• Coconut oil or ghee, for cooking

Method

1. In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat 1–2 tbsp coconut oil. Add sliced red onions and curry leaves. Cook over medium heat until onions are soft and golden. Add the Chai-Spice blend and stir for 30 seconds. Let the aromatics come alive—floral, spiced, warm.
2. Add the coconut milk and gently simmer for 4–5 minutes, allowing the flavors to marry. Add the prawns to the spiced broth. Simmer just until pink and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add salt to taste. Serve hot.
3. To servie, ladle the prawns and spiced coconut broth into a shallow bowl. Serve alongside saffron-infused basmati rice for elegant fragrance and richness, and malabar paratha, flaky and crisp, for scooping up every drop
4. In the quiet village of
5. Perumkulam
6. , tucked between swaying coconut palms and the slow rhythm of temple bells, my grandmother—
7. Ammichi
8. —would stand barefoot in her red-tiled kitchen, stirring a pot of something that always smelled like the monsoon and memory.
9. She would make this stew—delicate, coconut-rich, yet edged with spice—when someone had returned home, or was about to leave, or just needed comfort. The prawns were fresh from the backwaters, the lentils soft, the squash yielding.
10. Years later, I reach for those same flavors—this time wrapped in chai spice, a nod to my own wandering—but the soul of the dish remains hers. The warmth, the hush, the quiet power of a stew that says, you are safe, you are known, you are loved.
11. —Neeta
12. Prawns in Garam Chai Coconut Broth Paired with LXV The Secret
13. Neeta Mittal’s Share & Pair Sundays recipe brings the bold flavors of India to life, perfectly paired with LXV 2022 The Secret.

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