Creamy Garlic Prawns is one of those dishes I kept coming back to even when I had no real plan to cook it. I would be standing in the kitchen with a pack of prawns from the freezer and half a carton of cream that needed using, and this would be what I made. The thing that made it stick is the sauce.
That moment when you pour the stock and cream into the pan together and stir it over heat — you can hear it start to thicken, a low, steady bubble — and suddenly it looks like something you would pay for at a restaurant. I have made this on quiet Sundays and on rushed Friday evenings when everyone was hungry and waiting. It holds up either way, and the leftovers, if there are any, are just as good over a bowl of plain rice the next morning.
About the Recipe
Every ingredient here is available at any grocery store, and most of them are probably already in your kitchen. Maida, butter, garlic paste, cream — nothing here requires a trip to a specialty shop. The whole thing is on the table in roughly twenty to twenty-five minutes from start to finish.
I make this when I want something that feels a little more considered than a stir fry but without the planning that a proper biryani or curry demands. A weeknight when someone is coming over is exactly the occasion.
Why you will love this recipe
A cream sauce made in one pan, with no blending, no separate tempering, and almost no washing up — that alone earns it a regular spot in my rotation. The technique is a simple roux, where you cook butter and flour together briefly before adding liquid, which gives the sauce body without any thickening agent or cornflour.
The garlic goes in early so it mellows as it cooks, and the mustard paste at the end keeps the whole thing from tasting flat. Prawns cook fast, so by the time the sauce has thickened, the protein is nearly done. Twenty minutes. One pan. A sauce that tastes like you spent far longer on it.
Cooking Tips
The most common mistake with this recipe is adding the prawns too early. Prawns overcook very fast — two or three minutes past done and they turn rubbery and tight. Wait until your sauce has already thickened before the prawns go in, then keep a close eye on them. Another thing beginners miss is the step where you take the pan off the flame before adding the liquid.
Skipping that causes lumps. Pull the pan off, pour the stock and cream in, stir thoroughly, and then return it to the heat.
Top Tips
- Use fresh or fully thawed prawns and pat them dry before they go into the pan — excess water thins the sauce.
- The flour and butter only need about twenty seconds off the heat before you add the liquid, so have your stock and cream measured and ready before you start.
- If your sauce thickens too much before the prawns are cooked through, stir in a small splash of warm water or stock to loosen it slightly.
- Parsley gives a slightly cleaner finish than coriander leaves here, but coriander works well if that is what you have.
- Do not cover the pan while the prawns are cooking — you want the steam to escape so the sauce stays thick and does not water down.
Serving and Storing Suggestions
Serving size: 3 to 4 people. Prep and cook time: around 25 minutes. Serve the prawns hot, straight from the pan, over steamed basmati rice or plain white rice. They also work alongside bread rolls if you want to mop up the sauce.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one day. Reheat gently on a low flame with a tablespoon of water or stock stirred in, because cream sauces tend to split if they get too hot too quickly.
Similar Recipes
- Butter Garlic Prawns
- Prawn Masala
- Creamy Mushroom Pasta
- Garlic Butter Fish Fillet
- Prawn Coconut Curry
Nutrient Benefits
Prawns are a high protein, low fat seafood, which makes them a practical choice when you want a meal that is filling without being carbohydrate-heavy. They also carry zinc and selenium in useful amounts. The cream and butter add saturated fat, so this is not an everyday dish, but the portion of prawns in each serving is doing real nutritional work — roughly 20 to 25 grammes of protein per serving depending on portion size.
Creamy Garlic Prawns
Ingredients
- 500 g Prawns peeled, tails intact
- 50 g Butter
- 2 tsp Garlic Paste
- 2 tsp Maida (Plain Flour)
- 1/2 cup Thick Cream
- 1/2 cup Chicken Stock
- 1/4 tsp Mustard Paste
- 2 tsp Coriander Leaves (or) Parsley chopped
- as per taste Pepper Powder
- as per taste Salt
Instructions
- Heat butter in a pan over medium flame.
- Add the garlic paste and stir well.
- Add the flour and stir again.
- Remove the pan from flame after 20 seconds.
- Pour the stock and cream to the pan.
- Stir until well combined.
- Place the pan over medium flame, stirring until the sauce thickens.
- Add the mustard, salt and pepper powder.
- Now add the prawns to the pan and stir well.
- Simmer until it starts to boil and reduce flame.
- Cook for 5 minutes or until the prawns are done.
- Garnish with coriander leaves.
- Serve with cooked rice.
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Frequently Asked Questions
My sauce turned out lumpy. What went wrong?
Lumps usually happen because the liquid was added while the pan was still on the flame, or because it was poured in too fast. The method here asks you to remove the pan from the heat first, then pour in the stock and cream together, and stir well before returning to the flame. If you already have lumps, strain the sauce through a fine sieve before adding the prawns.
Can I use frozen prawns for this recipe?
Yes, but thaw them completely first and pat them dry with a kitchen towel. Frozen prawns release a lot of water as they cook, and if that water goes into your sauce it will thin it out and make the sauce taste diluted. Dry prawns go into a sauce cleanly and pick up the garlic flavour much better.
My prawns turned rubbery. How do I avoid that next time?
Rubbery prawns are almost always overcooked prawns. Prawns are done when they curl into a loose C shape and turn opaque all the way through. If they curl into a tight O, they have gone too far. Keep the flame low once the prawns go in, and check them at the four-minute mark rather than waiting the full five minutes.
I do not have chicken stock. Can I substitute something else?
Vegetable stock works and does not change the flavour dramatically. If you have no stock at all, use warm water with a small pinch of salt. The sauce will be slightly less rounded in flavour but it will still come together well. Avoid using prawn-flavoured stock cubes here as they can make the sauce taste too sharp against the cream.
Can I make the sauce ahead of time and add the prawns later?
The sauce can be made up to a few hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Reheat it gently on a low flame, stir in a splash of stock if it has thickened too much, and then add the prawns just before you are ready to serve. Cooking the prawns in advance and reheating them is not recommended as they will overcook on the second round of heat.
