Devein and wash the prawns well with cold water. Drain the water completely and set aside.
Pour ¾ tbsp oil to a pan and fry onions till transparent. Then add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell disappears.
Add tomatoes, salt and turmeric. Then fry till the tomatoes turn mushy.
Next add red chili powder, garam masala, coriander powder and then the coconut. Fry everything well for about 3 to 5 minutes without burning.
Cool this and blend with ¾ water to a smooth puree. To speed up the process you can use ice cold water to blend the hot mix. Set this aside.
Pour another ¾ tbsp oil to the pan and heat up.
Add cumin, green chilli and garlic.
When the garlic is lightly roasted add curry leaves and saute till they turn crisp.
Pour the ground mixture and add water or coconut milk only if needed.
Bring the gravy to a boil and cook on a medium flame until the gravy thickens and you see traces of oil on top.
Reduce the heat completely and then add the prawns.
Cook just until they swirl up to C shape. Or Alternately you can also saute the prawns in a small pan just for about 2 minutes and add to the gravy.
Do not overcook they turn hard. Taste the gravy and add more salt if needed.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve prawn curry with any fragrant rice, biryani or roti, naan or chapathi.