I love curry and I also love prawns, so these are actually dishes that I would usually order in an Indian Restaurant (my favourite at the moment being Deepa on Whittington Moor, near Chesterfield, where I live). I managed to find recipes for them and have cooked them for myself - my other half doesn't like them (he's a Chicken Tikka Massala man and isn't altering for anybody) so I tend to cook the whole lot and then eat half and save the other half for the next day.

PRAWN & COCONUT CURRY

300g frozen raw peeled prawn tails, defrosted
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 Thai chili, finely chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
tsp ground turmeric
100ml creamed coconut
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice of lemon
1 handful coriander leaves (optional)

1 - First check that the prawns don't need cleaning, by running a knife down the length of their backs. If necessary, remove any black digestive threads, rinse under the cold tap and pat dry with kitchen paper.

2 - Put a large saucepan over a medium to high heat and add the oil. Once hot, stir in the onion, ginger, garlic and chili and cook, stirring all the time for 4-5 minutes (or until the mixture is soft and has a light golden colour). Next add the ground coriander and turmeric and cook for a further 2 minutes.

3 - Now add the prawns to the onion mix and stir-fry briskly until they just start to turn pink. Then add 150ml water and the creamed coconut. Once the coconut has melted into the liquid, season to taste and simmer gently for 4 minutes (or until the prawns are cooked). When you are ready to serve, add the lemon juice and scatter the coriander leaves over the top.

This goes really well with some fragrant Thai Rice or some naan bread. It is a flavoursome, but not too hot curry - you can, of course, add more chillies if you want it hotter, or less if you wish. It is, as they say, completely up to you!

PRAWN MALAI CURRY

10 large prawns
2 onions, sliced or shallot (equivalent amount)
1 cup cream of coconut
2 green cardamom
1 inch cinnamon (in length) stick
2 cloves
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp clarified butter/oil

1 - Rub prawns with half the salt and set aside.

2 - In a wok/deep pan, heat clarified butter (ghee), then add the sliced onions and fry until translucent.

3 - Make a paste out of green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and water and then add to the onions in the wok.

4 - Cook for about 2 minutes over a medium heat until everything is nicely heated through.

5 - Next pour in the coconut cream, remaining salt, sugar, paprika and bring the whole thing to the boil. Then add the prawns, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

This curry is also very good with rice. I would actually recommend you go for a plain boiled rice or some simple fried rice to accompany it, because the flavours of this dish are a little more delicate than the first recipe.

I really enjoying cooking and eating these two yummy recipes and hope that you enjoy them too. Thankfully they are both easy to make - so they are perfect for the non-Delia's amongst us (ME!). The most difficult bit about both of them is the actual preparation. Once all the chopping and mixing is over, the cooking part is quick and simple.

Enjoy!

Learn more about this author, Tange.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Cooking with prawns?
We want to hear your view. Write now!