The easiest prawn curry

Shaheen Hughes December 16, 2016

It is no secret that curry is my perfect comfort food, but it really does have the power to comfort, and sometimes and the power to cure.

I've been sick, on antibiotics and totally unmotivated to cook this week, until I realised that I needed a good hit of my own cooking to actually make me feel better!

This prawn curry is so easy and so good, I had to get it online so you can make it for yourself, when you're short of time and need a pick me up.

For two people (you can double this), you will need:

2-3 tablespoons of coconut oil

1 tablespoon of crushed ginger

1 fresh chilli - red or green - 2 if you like it hot

2 heaped teaspoons of bottle masala

250 grams of fresh prawns - cleaned and deveined

half a cup of frozen peas

half to a tin of coconut milk or cream (Ayam brand)

juice of half a lime

salt to taste (less than half a teaspoon is needed)

large handful of rice noodles (I soak mine in cold water for 10 minutes or so before throwing them in) (optional)

In a heavy based saucepan, heat the coconut oil and lightly fry the ginger and fresh chilli. Add the bottle masala and then the prawns, stir frying so the bottle masala doesn't burn. Add the frozen peas, then the coconut milk, bit by bit, stirring in between additions. You can add as much coconut milk as you like, up to a whole tin, or use water or stock to dilute it. Cook the curry for a few minutes only - you don't want the prawns to overcook. Squeeze in fresh lime juice and add salt to taste. Serve with the rice noodles thrown in and eat it like a soup, or omit the rice noodles and eat with hot white rice.

Thank me later! It really can cure you!

Easy yellow fish curry

Shaheen Hughes July 3, 2015

This fish curry is incredibly easy to prepare, and would have been the staple dish in many Indian households where fish was easy to access. In my grandmother’s house, the fresh masalas would be ground and the coconuts opened and scraped first thing in the morning. The fish seller would come to the door with a selection of the day’s catch, and by lunchtime the curry would be ready.

I use my bottle masala for this recipe, if you don’t have any, use a very good curry powder (one without salt, sugar, flours, preservatives or anti-caking agents) or try a simple mix of red chilli powder, turmeric and ground cumin and coriander.

For up to 4 people you will need:

500 grams of fish fillets (I used Spanish Mackerel)

3 tablespoons of oil (coconut oil works well)

a stalk of curry leaves (optional)

1 tablespoon of bottle masala

1/3 teaspoon of turmeric

1/2 teaspoon of salt

a stock cube

1 teaspoon of tamarind paste

1/2 teaspoon of sugar

a tin of good quality coconut milk (I use Ayam brand)

Place the fish fillets on a plate and sprinkle with the bottle masala, salt and turmeric. Turn over to coat, and leave to marinate for 30 minutes or so (you can also cook immediately if you don’t have the time). In a large frying pan, heat the oil and fry the curry leaves if you have them. Turn the heat to medium-low and place the fish fillets in a single layer. Fry for a minute or so and turn over to brown the other side. Next slowly add around 200 ml or so of coconut milk, crumble in half to one stock cube and stir gently to mix, ensuring you don’t break up the fish too much. Let the curry cook on a low heat for 10 minutes or so. At the end, add the sugar and tamarind paste and stir again. Taste for salt, sugar and the right amount of ‘sour’ from the tamarind, before serving. If you don’t have tamarind you can use some freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice.

Coconut, ginger and prawn curry

Shaheen Hughes June 18, 2015

I was enjoying my coconut chutney so much I decided to use it in this curry... which I will cook again and again... it was spicy, gingery and full of coconut flavour - perfect for this cold weather.

We ate it with rice but I think it would also taste good with noodles.

For two people you will need:

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 stalk of curry leaves (if you can get them)

1 tablespoon of ginger, cut into very thin matchsticks

½ to 1 green chilli, depending on how hot you like it

2 spring onions, finely chopped

½ cup of peas

250 g prawns

½ a tin of coconut milk (around 135 ml)

125 g coconut chutney

salt and pepper to taste

To make the coconut chutney you will need:

1 cup of dessicated coconut

1 green chilli

1 inch square of ginger

½ a teaspoon of salt

1 ½ teaspoons of sugar

juice of half a lemon

For tempering the chutney:

1 tablespoon of coconut oil

1/3 teaspoon of mustard seeds

a stalk of curry leaves (10-12 leaves)

To make the chutney, first place the coconut in a bowl and pour in some bowling water – it should reach the top of the coconut but not go over. Set aside for 10-15 minutes. After this, put it in a blender with the rest of the chutney ingredients and blend to a paste.

Heat the coconut oil in a small pan, throw in the mustard seeds and wait until they start to pop, then add the curry leaves and keep frying for a few seconds. Tip this mixture into the blender and blend again to a paste.

Taste chutney for lemon, salt and sugar before serving.

To make the curry, heat the coconut oil in a large frying pan and fry the curry leaves, ginger and white parts of the chopped spring onions for a minute or two. Throw in the peas (they can be fresh or frozen) and then add the chutney. Fry for a few more minutes, stirring constantly, and then add the prawns. Keep stir frying for about 30 seconds and start to add coconut milk. Add up to half a tin of coconut milk or to taste – depending on how thick you want your curry. Cook for a few more minutes only - don't let the prawns overcook.

Taste for salt and add some pepper and a squeeze of fresh lime juice at the end if you fancy it. Before serving, stir in the rest of the chopped spring onions (the green bits).