Mussels Masala Fry

Tip 1: Fresh Mussels, obviously taste better than the frozen variety

Tip 2: They need to be cooked as lightly as prawns.

Marinate the meat of mussels in meet mirsang - a mix of chilli, turmeric, cumin and vinegar. (This is a standard paste thats ground in large quantities and stored in most Manglorean houses) but you can use powders, just create a paste with the vinegar. Adjust chillies to your liking, turmeric and jeera are intended to have just a hint of a flavour, you can use lemon juice instead of vinegar if you prefer to make it fresh.

Heat some coconut oil in a pan (this gives it a very South Indian flavour, you can use regular oil) temper with curry leaves (there's really no substitute, Sorry)

Saute thinly sliced onions (50 gms onions for 200 gms shelled mussels) in the tempered oil
Then mix in the marinated mussels with the marinade.
Stir fry at high heat, so juices get trapped inside.

Serve hot with rice and dhal or rice and rasam.

Variant:
I use a similar recipe for prawns and I pop some potatoes in there for contrasting texture. Also the flavour of prawns seems to blend well with potatoes. I myself wouldnt use a mussels-potato combo.