Aromatic prawns in coconut milk
A favourite Thai dish that even the most devoted “enemies” of spicy food will happily devour! The truth is that it is not particularly hot, although you can always adjust the heat to suit your taste. With the intense fragrance of lemongrass, this curry will transport you straight to Thailand.
Ingredients
For the curry paste
- 4 lemongrass stalks
- 2 hot red chillies deseeded
- 4 garlic cloves
- 4 dried kaffir lime leaves optional
- 2 cups fresh coriander leaves
- 1 sweet red pepper
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- 2 Τbsp fish sauce
- 4 Τbsp soy sauce
- 1 Τbsp sesame oil
- 1 Τbsp fresh ginger roughly chopped
For the curry
- ¼ cup desiccated coconut
- 2 Τbsp sunflower oil
- 30 large prawns peeled and deveined, with the heads and tails removed (leave 5 unpeeled for an attractive presentation)
- 400 grams coconut milk
Instructions
- Bruise the lemongrass with a meat mallet or the side of a knife to break open the ends. Finely chop it, taking care to avoid the very tough parts, and place it in a blender with the remaining curry paste ingredients. Blend thoroughly until everything is finely ground and you have a smooth, uniform paste.
- Place the desiccated coconut in a large saucepan over medium heat. Toast it, stirring continuously, until it turns lightly golden. Remove the coconut from the pan and set aside in a small bowl.
- In the same saucepan, add the sunflower oil and turn the heat up to high. Add the prawns and half of the curry paste. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring.
- Add the coconut milk and the remaining curry paste. Cook for another 2–3 minutes, until the prawns are cooked through. Stir in the toasted coconut and mix well.
- Serve hot with rice.