Effortless Malabar Style Chemmeen Thenga Chor

Effortless Malabar Style Chemmeen Thenga Chor


Have you had situations where you are already late and tired to make lunch? Well, this recipe is here to the rescue! Definitely, a must-try if you love 'naadan' food and tastes like its right from 'The God's Own Country'. 

This Chemeen thenga chor is something that is made quite often at home since childhood. I have always been a picky eater when I was smaller and used to completely dislike when mama made this, then least favorite rice. Only after I grew did I know that I was missing out so much on this Chor (rice) and its flavors in my life! 🤣Ever since this rice has always been my last minute resort which is equally delicious compared to basic meals from our place! So of course, this is my mommy 's recipe! This might not be authentic but that's how me and my mama cooks🤷‍♀️😀 We don't follow any particular recipe or go for proper measurements! 😅

Let's move on to the recipe now. The rice is very pungent and flavorful, you would not want to miss out on its flavors. As the name suggests, it is so effortlessly made. All you need are cleaned prawns and 30 minutes of your time in total. That easy I must say.

Basically, it is rice cooked in a masala of turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala in small proportions, in which the prawns are cooked in the gravy and coconut milk is added to escalate its flavor profile. Here, I have used coconut milk powder in the recipe for ease of accessibility but does the job well. You may use freshly squeezed coconut milk too (any day better)!  🤣

The rice is often accompanied by some mango-coconut chutney and pappadam (pappad) and/ raita. Here I did not have pappad with me, hence only the coconut chutney is pictured. 
Let's get going and make this super delicious and effortless Thenga Chor with Chemmen. 

Ingredients:

(Makes for 3 people) 




  • 2 glass Ponni Rice/ Jeerakashala
  • Water (check notes) *
  • 15-20 Prawns, cleaned and deveined
  • 1 medium Onion, sliced
  • 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1 small tomato, chopped
  • 3 green chilies
  • 2-3 sprig of curry leaves
  • 1/4 Turmeric powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp Chilli Powder
  • 1 tbsp Coriander powder
  • 3/4 tsp Garam Masala
  • 1/2 cup Coconut milk powder

Instructions :




  1. Pour the coconut oil in a large pot and Sautee the onions until translucent and add in your ginger garlic paste and curry leaves. Saute till the raw smell disappears.
  2. Now add the slit green chilies and chopped tomatoes, and cook for a couple of minutes until the tomatoes mash.
  3. Now add all the spices and Sautee on low till the spices have no raw smell, about 2 minutes.
  4. Add the cleaned and deveined prawns to this and sautee
  5. Next, add the washed and drained rice and add water as required (refer notes)*.
  6. Add the coconut milk (mix 2 tbsp water to the coconut milk powder and make a paste) to the rice and close the lid and allow to cook. For cooking time for the different types of rice check notes.*
  7. Voila, and you are done! Effortless Chemmeen Thenga Chor is done.
  8. Garnish with fried curry leaves and a Mango coconut chutney on the side.! (recipe below 👇) 

Notes*-

  • You may always use freshly squeezed Coconut milk if you have the time, it is definitely much better!
  • For Jeerakashala : water ratio is 1 : 1 1/2 glass
          Ponni rice : water ratio is 1 : 2 1/4 glass


  • For cooking Jeerakashala rice - After 10 minutes give a mix, and close the lid and let it cook on simmer for another 5 minutes and it's done! (If using Jeerakashala I prefer using ghee instead of coconut oil)
  • For cooking Ponni rice - Cook covered for at least 25 minutes and check it's doneness and cook more if required. 


Mango Coconut Chutney


  • 1/2 cup grated coconut 
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • 1 side slice of green mango, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder
  • Salt

Grind in a grinder all the above ingredients or use a mortar and pestle for better results. 

Do try this recipe and don't forget to share your experience/feedback with me here in the comments or feel free to send me a mail. Also, do tag me at #taystedit if you try out my recipes on Facebook, Instagram etc so that I can see when you make it. ♡♡♡♡

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