Coconutty Spicy Prawns

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4 June 2020 BY Julie Biuso
SERVES: Serves 6 with other dishes

Serve with rice or as part of a spicy feast.

Ingredients

Spicy Coconut Sauce ----------------------- 1 Tbsp tomato concentrate (UK tomato purée) 1 tsp garam masala ½ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp cayenne pepper 1 Tbsp lemon juice ¾ tsp salt ¼ tsp sugar 150ml (5 fl oz) canned coconut cream Prawns --------- 500g-750g (about 1-1½ lb) raw prawns (see Recipe Notes) 2 Tbsp vegetable oil 1½ Tbsp butter 1 tsp cumin seeds 2 Tbsp finely chopped shallot 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped ¼ tsp turmeric 1 tsp ground coriander ¼ tsp cayenne pepper ½ tsp salt 3 Tbsp chopped coriander (cilantro)

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients for the spicy coconut sauce in a bowl, cover and refrigerate (the sauce can be prepared 5-6 hours in advance).
2. For the prawns, if they are frozen, thaw them quickly in a sealed plastic bag in a sink of warm water. Twist off the heads and remove the shells. Split down the rounded back of each prawn with a sharp knife and remove any darkish veins. Rinse thoroughly, drain, then pat dry.
3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan (skillet) over high heat and then add butter. Once the butter is sizzling, add cumin seeds and fry for a few seconds, then add shallot and garlic and stir-fry 2-3 minutes until lightly browned. Add prawns, then the turmeric, ground coriander, cayenne and salt. Stir-fry prawns until golden on both sides.
4. Pour sauce into pan and heat through. As soon as the sauce is piping hot, swirl in coriander, transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

We need to talk about prawns. When it comes to prawns you need to know where they come from and how they were caught (wild caught or sea caught), or where they were farmed. Cheap prawns are often raised in a perpetually recycled tank of chemical ‘soup’ to produce the biggest, fleshiest prawns in as short a time as possible. Read here for further information Prawns.