Prawn, Pea & Coconut Curry
A quick and easy meal the whole family will love
As you can see in the photo below, I’ve just harvested enough red chillies to last me for a while!!! I’ll be preparing most of them for drying and will post a ‘HOW TO’ here soon – in case you also have a surplus of chilli peppers at home and use lots of dried chilli flakes in your cooking too.
But for today, I’ve used one of the fresh ones to make this lip-smacking PRAWN & PEA COCONUT CURRY - a mild and yummy dish that will appeal to everyone at home.
This is a very simple recipe which you can easily put together, and once the curry sauce is made, it’ll only take an extra 10 minutes or so to cook the prawns and peas and add your finishing touches.
If you’re not a seafood or meat-eater, go ahead and replace the prawns with pan-fried cubes of paneer - or for vegans, swap the prawns and peas with a drained can of chickpeas and a generous handful of spinach (following the same cooking times as in the recipe).
Sometimes, if I have some pumpkin sitting in the fridge or a lonely kumara in the veg basket, I cut them into cubes, drizzle with a little oil and roast in the oven until just cooked – adding them to the sauce at the same time as the peas – which is a great way to add more veggies to your daily count and reduce waste at home.
To make my PRAWN, PEA & COCONUT CURRY today, I’ve also used a couple of very ripe and juicy tomatoes from the garden, but you can definitely substitute them for canned chopped ones.
PRAWN, PEA & COCONUT CURRY
Serves 4
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 thumbnail-piece ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 large red chilli, finely chopped (seeds removed if you prefer mild)
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp curry powder
2 ripe fresh tomatoes, chopped (or ½ can chopped tomatoes)
300 g prawns, defrosted, tails removed, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper
¾ cup frozen peas
1 can (400 g) coconut cream
½ lemon, juice only
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil (or substitute)
Cooked Basmati rice, to serve
Method:
1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or saucepan and add chopped onions, garlic, ginger and chilli. Fry on a medium- low heat, for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, to prevent burning. If you feel it’s starting to brow too quickly, add a touch of water (1-2 tsp).
2. Combine the spices: turmeric, cumin and curry powder and add to the pan. Stir and continue frying for about 5 minutes. This time, if too dry, add a little extra cooking oil or butter.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir. Lightly season with salt and pepper and continue cooking for a few minutes until the tomatoes break down and everything comes together looking like a paste.
4. Add the coconut milk and stir to combine. Let it bubble for a few minutes and taste to see if needs more seasoning. Sometimes, if using canned tomatoes, I add a pinch of sugar, to adjust the acidity. If sauce is too thick, add a little water, using the coconut milk as a measure and adding up to ½ can of water.
5. Once you’re happy with the sauce, add prawns and stir. Cover the pan with a lid, if available, and cook for 3-4 minutes. Now add the peas, stir and cook again for an extra 3 minutes.
6. Once prawns and peas are cooked, finish the curry with a squeeze of lemon juice. Taste and season to taste, if needed.