This may not exactly be the type of recipe which can be "thrown together" in a hurry, but it is more than worth taking the extra time to start with the fresh ingredients as opposed to buying them pre-cooked/prepared.

You will need:

12 raw prawns/shrimp (approximately 1 inch in circumference when peeled)
Half of one mango (diced)
2 garlic cloves (crushed or very finely chopped)
1 ring of fresh pineapple
1 tbsp of cashew nuts (unsalted)
10 to 12 fresh basil leaves (torn)
1 large tomato (deseeded and chopped in to one inch pieces)
Pinch of reduced sodium salt
1 tbsp of sunflower oil

The first thing to do is to peel and cook your prawns/shrimp. Holding the body in one hand, gently twist off the head and discard. Gently break the underside tines of the shell and peel it from the body. Heat a wok up to smoking temperature and add the sunflower oil. Add your raw prawns/shrimp and stir fry for a maximum of 2 minutes. Remember that it is very important to cook them "pink" right through but not over-cook them - they will turn to the equivalent of pieces of rubber. Remove them from the wok and set aside.

I have been afforded many theories upon how to de-stone and peel a mango, but I personally find that this one works best for me. The first thing to do, using a sharp paring knife, is to cut in to and around the entire circumference of the fruit - top to bottom - until you feel the resistance of the stone. Taking a dessert spoon, slide it in to the mango to reach the stone and gently ease your way all the way around, freeing the flesh from the seed. Repeat on the other side. Discard the stone and upon each half, carve a "grid," through the flesh but not the skin, each square perhaps slightly less than one square inch. It is then possible to turn each half "inside out" and peel off your chunks of fruit.

Top and tail your pineapple and cut off a slice about three-quarters of an inch thick. Cut off the skin and the "eyes," which are the small pieces of skin extending in to the fruit. Carefully cut around the central core and discard. Chop the "ring" in to one inch (approximately) pieces.

It is now "simply" a case of combining the ingredients in a glass mixing bowl, covering with clingfilm and refrigerating for one hour for the flavours to infuse.

Learn more about this author, Gordon Hamilton.
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