Prawn Coconut Curry

My prawn dishes tend to go down very well with my wife. Here is one of them that scored a 10. For this one it is the preparation that takes the time.

Ingredients

 

12 medium sized tomatoes - deseeded and skins removed. Tinned tomatoes will speed up the process but I think fresh tomatoes have a lighter flavour that goes well with something like prawns.

 

400ml tin of coconut milk - You could use cream of coconut with added water. Coconut milk seems to have a lighter flavour.

500g fresh king prawns - I used three packs of 155g King Prawns.

 

Five cloves of garlic - Roughly chopped.  More or less is down to your own preferences.

 

Two chillies - Deseeded and finely chopped. I always deseed. If I want more heat I'll add more chilli as opposed to leaving the seeds in. It's down to personal preference.

 

One teaspoon Tamarind paste - I usually hesitate when buying something like this. Most supermarkets sell those little jars of ready made paste but once opened you have to use it within four weeks. Since you generally use small amounts that means the rest going to waste or eating a lot of dishes requiring tamarind paste within the four weeks. It gives a pleasant sourness similar to that provided by lemons, vinegar or the more esoteric stuff like pomegranate molasses.

 

One teaspoon each of cumin and coriander powder - By all means vary this and add spices that you think will work or particularly like.

 

One teaspoon of garam masala - I used some ready made BARTS garam masala. If I have some of my own I'll use that. It's fun to make and there are loads of recipes for it to be found on the web or in cookbooks.

Couple of tablespoons of chopped coriander.

Couple of tablespoons of oil.

Salt and pepper to taste.

The Process

Once you've prepared everything the cooking process is quite simple. The photo to the left shows all the ingredients except the coconut milk and the king prawns.

It also shows a bowl of shredded radishes. I used about 500g along with Panch Phoran* as the spice ingredient

Start off by heating a little of the oil in a skillet on a medium to high heat and tip the tomatoes in. Once they are softened add the chillies, garlic and spices. Turn down the heat and simmer. Then add the coconut milk and tamarind paste. Keep it simmering with occasional stirring while you start with your side dish (if you are having one). Add water if it gets too thick. Once the tomatoes have properly cooked through move the skillet to a rear burner and just keep stirring from time to time while you prepare the radishes.

Add the rest of the oil to a wok and fry the Panch Phoran* on a medium heat being careful not to burn it. A minute or two will do - you should here them 'pop' - and then you can tip in the grated radishes and stir fry until they are cooked to your liking.

Once your happy with the radishes then add the prawns to the tomato mixture and cook until pink on a medium to high heat.

To the left is the finished dish. Just scatter the coriander on it and you are ready to eat. The radish dish is an option. You could have it with Pilau or just plain rice.







*Panch Phoran - Also known as Bengali five spice. A mix of whole cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, nigella (also known as onion or kalongi) seeds and mustard seeds in equal parts. The spices are left whole. You can get it ready made from Indian Supermarkets or make your own. I think Tesco and Waitrose may provide it too. I've seen some variants where the proportions of seeds vary but again it's down to your choice. We like it especially with vegetable side dishes.