Recipe: Thai Chili Prawns

Recipe: Thai Chili Prawns

Thai Chili Prawns with Garden Vegetables in a Thai Lime-Coconut Curry and served on a bed of Basmati Rice

Recipe by: Sarah-Jane Hall, Banks Youth Day Cook Off Finalist

Thai Chili Paste:

- 2 hot red chilies

- 3 hot green chilies

- 1 tablespoon grated ginger

- 3 cloves garlic – crushed or roughly chopped

- 2 stalks sliced lemongrass

- 1 red onion – rough chopped

- Black pepper

- 1 teaspoon cumin powder

- 1 teaspoon coriander powder

- 1 zest of 1 lime – easiest to grate

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- Handful fresh coriander – roughly chopped

Curry:

- 1 red onion – finely chopped

- 2 sticks lemon grass – cut into large pieces

- 4-5 slices of ginger

- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder

- 2 tablespoons Thai chili paste

- 1 can coconut milk

- 6 baby carrots

- 6 baby potatoes cut in half

- 4 kaffir lime leaves

- 1 cup peas added a few minutes before serving

- 1/4 lime juice

- 1 cup fresh coriander

Prawns:

- 8 – 12 large prawns, cleaned, deveined with head and shell removed. Keep the tails on.

- 1 tablespoon finely minced ginger.

- 2 cloves of garlic – crushed.

- 1 red chili

- 2 green chilies

- 1 small onion – finely chopped

- Olive oil

- A knob of butter

Method:

First bring a small pot of water to the boil. Peal the baby carrots and wash the baby potatoes, cutting the potatoes in half. As soon as the water is boiling add the potatoes and allow to boil for about 5 minutes and then add the carrots whole. Allow both to boil for a further 5 minutes. They should still be firm. After 10 minutes (in total) remove immediately and pour into a colander and set aside.

Next move on to the Red Thai Chili Paste:

Roughly chop the red onion, chili, ginger and garlic. Slice the lemongrass.

In a heavy bottom pan, heat the olive oil and add the onion, chili, ginger, and lemongrass.

Stir gently until the onions turn opaque and then add all remaining ingredients except the fresh coriander. Stir these in and then add the salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 minute then immediately transfer to your blender. Blend until the paste is smooth. If too thick you can add another splash of olive oil and a little of the coconut milk that is to be used in the curry.

Add the fresh coriander and blend into the mixture.

Remove as much of the chili paste as possible from the blender and then measure about 2 tablespoons, placing this back into the blender. Keep the remaining paste to add later if you want more heat.

Then move onto the curry

Add the coconut milk to the chili paste in the blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.

In a heavy bottom pot, sauté the onions, lemongrass, turmeric and ginger slices until the onions are translucent and then turn down to medium heat. Pour in the coconut and chili mixture from the blender and stir in until well mixed. Add the lime leaves and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring periodically.

Add the potatoes and carrots to the mixture and allow to simmer away for a further 10 minutes (you may need to turn the heat down further). Keep stirring periodically and keep checking the firmness of the veg.

As soon as the veg is down remove from the heat and add the peas and the lime juice.

Finally, the Prawns

Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the onion, chili, garlic and ginger. Fry until the onions are nice and soft.

Add a knob of butter and stir into the mixture. Add the prawns and coat well with the mixture in the pan. Fry for about one minute on each side. NO more than 3 minutes in total. The prawn meat will start to turn pink on the outside and white on the side that’s butterflied. Remove from the heat immediately and squeeze lime juice over the prawns.