Unakkachemmeen Varuthathu (fried dried shrimps)

Hooray, a week of marathon cooking finally came to an end! We had friends for lunch and dinner on Onam day, followed by more friends for post Onam lunch on Friday. I was very glad to see the cheerful  faces of well fed people. The spirit of Onam truly breaks all the barriers of religion and reminds us we all are one big happy family.

I have become one lazybone after the marathon. We were mostly dependent on takeouts post Onam. We  tried biriyanis, schezuans, shawarmas, fried chickens, but all of these didn't quite tickle our taste buds. Nothing appealed to us. So decided on a return to Mom's good old Pineapple Pulissery and unakkachemmeen varuthathu (dried shrimps fry).

Ingredients

• Dried shrimps - 1.5 cups
• Shallots - 1 cup
• Kashmiri chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Coconut oil
• Salt as needed

Directions
Dry roast the shrimps and keep them aside. Pour oil and saute the shallots well. Once it is sauteed well, add chilli powder and fry for a minute. Now add the dry roast shrimps, which is kept aside and fry them well. Use coconut oil again if necessary. Care should be taken not to burn the shallots.

Alternative:- First, fry shallots with chilli powder, keep them aside. Fry the shrimps. Now mix the fried shrimps and shallots.