King Prawns With Tamarind & Coconut
-
15 minutes prep time
-
25 minutes cook time
-
Easy
In the Seychelles they love their curries hot and spicy, with lashings of coconut milk – in fact it’s unheard of not to add coconut to a curry (you will get surprised looks). Here I have freshly ground the spices to make a traditional Seychellois ʻmassaléʼ – and it packs a punch. It is also used in the Seychellois aubergine & chickpea cari (p.119). Tamarind pulp is made from the flesh inside the tamarind pod, and the brown-red concentrate has a sticky, date-like consistency that is tart and sour, heightening the flavour in salads, curries and even desserts. I love the fleshy prawns, sweet coconut and tangy tamarind combination here. Serve it with rice, a fresh salad and your favourite chilli sauce or chutney.
The Island Kitchen by Selina Periampillai (Bloomsbury Publishing, £26) is out now. Photography by Yuki Sugiura.
Ingredients Serves: 2
- 15–20 fresh raw king prawns (350g), peeled, deveined and cleaned
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2.5cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
- 2 green chillies, split lengthways
- 5 curry leaves
- 1⁄2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp tomato purée or 1 tomato, diced
- 3 tbsp tamarind paste or pulp
- 400ml tin coconut milk
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Seychellois ʻmassaléʼ
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp black peppercorns
- 6 cardamom pods, seeds only
- 1⁄2 tsp cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick or
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp grated nutmeg
Method
- First make the massalé. In a small pan over a medium-high heat, dry-roast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, cardamom seeds, cloves and cinnamon for 30 seconds until aromatic, being careful not to let them burn.
- Grind all the dry ingredients in a spice grinder or pulverise using a pestle and mortar. Add in the chilli powder and nutmeg.
- Place in an airtight jar and keep for future use (this will make more than you need in this recipe).
- Season the prawns with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a deep saucepan on a medium-high heat. Fry the onion for 3–4 minutes until softened, then add in the garlic, ginger, chillies and curry leaves to cook for a few minutes until fragrant.
- Mix in 2 tablespoons of the massalé, the turmeric and the tomato, stirring gently.
- Pour in the tamarind and coconut milk and simmer for 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened and reduced.
- Add in the prawns and 1⁄2 teaspoon salt and cook for 5 minutes until they are opaque and tender.
- Check the seasoning and, to finish, garnish with parsley and lime wedges.
