Kerala Chemmeen Achar, a spicy and flavorful prawn pickle, hails from the southern coast of India. I'm excited to share my recipe for making this delicious Kerala-style prawn pickle right in your own kitchen!
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History of Pickling in India
In India, the simple pickle is a must-have with almost every meal. From the tangy mango pickles of North India to the Kuler Achar in Bengal, the fiery Banarasi Mirchi Ka Achar, the unique Bamboo Pickle of the North East, and the Kerala Style Prawn Pickle, pickles evoke sweet childhood memories and the bold flavors of adulthood. The word "pickle" comes from the Dutch word "Pikel," which refers to brine. "Achar," however, has Persian roots. Pickling itself dates back to 2030 BC in India!
2030 BC: Cucumbers brought from their native India helped begin a tradition of pickling in the Tigris Valley- Pickle History Timeline
Kerala-style Prawn Pickle
While this isn't a history lesson on pickles, it's all about Kerala Chemmeen Achar, the amazing Kerala-style prawn Pickle! Although shrimp and pickles might not be a classic Bengali combination, it's a personal favorite. Growing up, I never saw prawn pickles made in my family or my in-laws' homes. In fact, when I shared the Kerala-style prawn Pickle with others for the first time, I didn't find anyone else who had encountered it before.
Like prawn pickles, there are many types of Indian pickles. In India, we don't just pickle things by mixing them together; we also cook many of our pickles. We mainly use oil, along with vinegar or other sour ingredients, to help keep them fresh.
Shrimp or Prawn Preserve
As the name goes, Kerala Style Prawn Pickle is a Kerala variety of pickles prepared with Prawn/ Shrimp. This particular variety is also known as Chemmeen Achar as well. Chemmeen stands for prawn in Malayalam.
I first tried Kerala Style Prawn Pickle when a colleague brought it for lunch. I was working in Delhi then, and many of my colleagues from South India would bring delicious homemade food. As a Bengali, I was so happy with the taste of this prawn pickle, and it's no wonder - Bengalis are famous for loving prawns! When I asked about it, my colleague shared the recipe, and I was surprised to see how easy it was.
My Kerala memories
Besides family vacations, I've often visited Kerala for work, and you can find a trip guide in this post - Kerala Trip Guide! One thing I always brought back was their amazing prawn pickle. Kerala-style prawn pickle is perfect for my office lunches. It adds a delicious non-vegetarian touch without needing a full meal. Plus, it's so easy to make that I whip up a small batch almost every month. Mehebub loves prawns in any form, so he's always happy to help me finish it!
Indian Prawn Pickle - Variations
In India, Kerala and Goa are two coastal regions famous for prawn pickles: Chemmeen Achar and Prawn Balchao. If you enjoy both prawns and pickles, both are incredibly delicious. I make both at home and usually have one or the other on hand. I'll definitely share my Prawn Balchao recipe soon!
Recipe Card
Chemmeen Achar aka Kerala Style Prawn Pickle
Kerala Chemmeen Achar aka Kerala Style Prawn Pickle is a spicy seafood Pickle from the southern coastal region of India.
Ingredients
- 500 g Small-Sized Prawn De-shelled and deveined
To marinate:
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 2 teaspoon Red Chili Powder I have used Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Sliced Garlic
- 1 tablespoon Jullined Ginger
To Make the Pickle:
- 75 g Garlic Paste
- 50 g Ginger Paste
- 10 Green Chilies
- 20 Curry Leaves optional
- ⅔ cup White Vinegar
- 2 Tsp. Salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon Sugar optional
- 5 tablespoon Mustard Oil
To make the Spice Powder:
- ½ teaspoon Mustard Seed
- ½ teaspoon Fenugreek Seed
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Red Chili Powder
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
For Tempering:
- ½ teaspoon Mustard Seed
- ½ teaspoon Fenugreek Seed
Instructions
Marination of the Prawns:
- Use deshelled and deveined prawns while making the Prawn Pickle.
- Wash prawns thoroughly and marinate with Turmeric Powder, Red Chili Powder, and Salt.
- Add chopped Garlic and Julienned Ginger to the Prawn and lightly mix.
- Leave the marinated Prawns for 1 hour before making the Achar.
Spice Mix:
- Make a coarse powder of Mustard Seed, Fenugreek Seed, and Black Pepper and mix in Turmeric Powder and Red Chili Powder.
To Make the Pickle:
- Heat Oil in a Pan and fry the marinated prawns in low flame and fry.
- Keep aside the fried Prawns.
- Temper the oil remaining in the pan with Mustard Seed and Fenugreek Seed.
- When the seeds crackles add Curry Leaves and cook till those turn crisp.
- Add Ginger and Garlic Paste followed by chopped Green Chili.
- Cook in low flame till the raw aroma of ginger and garlic goes.
- Add 1 Tbsp. of the Spice, Powder prepared previously along with salt Chili Powder and Turmeric Powder.
- Mix properly and cook till oil comes out from the side of the mixture.
- Add Vinegar and 3 Tbsp. of water to the mixture and cook until the mixture starts boiling.
- Now add the sugar. This is completely optional however it balances the flavors.
- Now add Prawns and cook in low flame by covering the pan until the gravy thickens.
- Stir in between and adjust the spices if required.
- Cook until the pickle reaches desired consistency.
- Let the pickle cooled completely and store in an airtight container,
- It is better to store the Pickle container in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Because this is a pickle recipe, expect it to be extra salty, sour, and spicy! Feel free to adjust the ingredients to your liking.
- I like using small prawns for this Achar, but medium-sized ones work just as well. You can even use shrimp instead of prawns if you prefer.
- For the best flavor, I recommend mustard oil, but vegetable oil is a fine substitute.
- While it's not traditionally used, I like to add a touch of sugar to balance out the intense flavors. This is entirely optional.
- You can also adjust the amount of oil. I generally use about 1 tablespoon of oil for every 100 grams of prawns.
Nutrition
Prawn/ Shrimp recipes
- Phulkopi Aloo diye Chingri Kaliya (also known as Bengali Prawn Curry with Potato and Cauliflower)
- Chingri Paturi (also known as Prawn Paturi)
- Pui Chingri Ghonto aka Malabar Spinach Mishmash with Prawns (with Potato and Pumpkin)
- Shutki Chingri Bhorta (also known as Dried Prawn Paste aka Chingri Shutki Bhorta)
- South Indian Prawn Curry (also known as Prawn curry with coconul milk)
- Aloo Chingrir Shorshe Bata Diye Jhal (also known as light Mustard based curry with Prawn and Potato Wedges)
- Daab Chingri (also known as Prawn Cooked in Tender Coconut)
- Chingri Malai Curry (also known as Bengali Prawn Malai Curry)
- Chingrir Cutlet (also known as Prawn Cutlet)
Have you tried the Chemmeen Achar aka Kerala Prawn Pickle Recipe from Debjanir Rannachar!
Do let me know how it came out. Also, I would love to see a picture of the same which you can share here on [email protected]. On Instagram you can use my hashtag #debjanirrannaghar or you, in addition, you can tag me at @foodofdebjani.
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Here's the Prawn Pickle Pin
About Debjani Chatterjee Alam
I am Debjani Chatterjee Alam. A CSR specialist by profession and a food writer, food blogger, and food photographer as well. I live in Kolkata along with my Husband Mehebub who is an architect by profession, my daughter Pasta, and also my dog daughters Coffee and Luchi.
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