Ambotik

Name: Ambotik
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1 tbsp tamarind purée; 6 Kashmiri red chillies; 100 ml/3½ fl oz/scant ½ cup rapeseed/canola oil; 8 garlic cloves, chopped; pinch of salt; 10–12 jumbo prawns/shrimp, shelled and deveined; 150 ml/5 fl oz/⅔ cup water; 2 tbsp chopped fresh root ginger; ½ tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp black peppercorns; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 2 green chillies, slit; 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder; 2 tbsp canned chopped tomatoes, blitzed to a purée; 500 g/1 lb 2 oz onions, sliced

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Yatra

By Rohit Ghai

Published 2025

About

Ambot means “sour” and tik means “hot and spicy” in Konkannim. In Goa, they make this hot and sour prawn/shrimp curry for festive occasions, but you can also enjoy it as a speciality in restaurants and beach shacks throughout the region.

Ingredients

10–12 jumbo prawns/shrimp, shelled and deveined
pinch of salt
8 garlic cloves, chopped

Asia
India
Goa
Fish course
Pescatarian
Spicy
Gluten-free

Method

Sprinkle the prawns with salt and set aside for a few minutes.

Combine the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin seeds, peppercorns, tamarind purée and red chillies in a food processor and blitz to a smooth paste.

Heat the oil in a sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until golden brown. Add the chopped tomato purée and Kashmiri chilli powder and cook for 5–6 minutes