RAWALPINDI: Though all sea food generally becomes more popular in the winters, the garrison city seems to be particularly taken with prawns this winter.

“Most people like fried, crispy prawns, which can also be served with Chinese vegetable rice,” said Mohammad Aslam, the manager of a local Chinese restaurant on Haider Road.

He said prawn curry, fried prawns and prawns served with rice were the more demanded dishes in the restaurant. Although, he said, traditional Chinese recipes are altered to include more spices, including red chillies, to cater to local tastes, the prawns were otherwise fried in a light corn flour and salt batter.

“Cooking prawns is not easy because if you cook them too much, it affects the taste and makes the meat hard. So you have to be extra careful when making prawns. Usually, they are cooked on slow heat as the meat is tender and only needs five to 10 minutes to cook,” said a chef at a local restaurant, Ali Mohammad.

“People love our sizzling hot plate of prawns with garlic. To make the dish, prawns, garlic paste, onions and chillies are cooked on a hot plate for four to six minutes before adding a bit of cheese,” he said.

He said that he uses various spices and herbs in the different prawn dishes so that they all taste different.

“After all, I think people care more about taste than they do about decor,” he said.

“We come to have sea food, and especially prawns, when we are bored with traditional foods. I like having prawns at Chinese restaurants best, but Thai restaurants serve barbequed and grilled prawns as well,” said Haider Raja, a customer of a local restaurant in Saddar.

He said Chinese recipes called for the use of less oil and herbs so that the taste of prawns comes through.

“Sea food is a better alternative to Nihari and Sri Paye for those who take care of their diet,” he said.

Abbas Khan, a resident of the garrison city, said he usually had his prawns dipped in tomato ketchup or chutni and accompanied with a salad and boiled rice.

Baked and steamed prawns are healthier as they do not require oil, he said, adding that boiled prawns are juicy and tender while the outside is crisp. Most people are fed up with eating the same chicken and meat dishes, which is why prawns are an interesting addition to the dinner table, he added.

“People can also be more sure about sea food as we can no longer tell what animal our mutton and beef comes from,” he said.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2017