Curry Coconut King Prawns

 

My Todd just adores King Prawns.  Its not something he gets to eat very often as I am allergic to them, but when I do cook them for him, he feels really, really special!

 

A few months back we had received a beautiful box of fish from Seafresh Quality Foods.  Seafresh is an on line fish monger, which sells quality fish, seafood, poultry and meat.  I was incredibly impressed with both their product and their delivery service!  There was absolutely nothing that I could fault with any of it. Feel free to read about my experience here.

 

Included in the box was a bag of beautiful large uncooked King Prawns. Their prawns are individually quick frozen so that you can take out as many or as little as you want, which makes them very handy to use and ideal for whatever size family you have.  They are also shelled and de-veined at the source, so you can just cook them without any messing about. 

 

I remember when I worked at the Manor, they loved their prawns and would eat masses of them. I would have to shell and clean them. It was fiddly and time consuming.

 

Another thing Todd really enjoys is a good curry.  I don't cook them near often enough either.  I really should cook them more often.  He likes them really spicy.  I prefer them on the mild side. 

 

I had been saving some of the King Prawns to cook him a special meal on his birthday. Something he would really enjoy and all just for him.  Curry Coconut King Prawns.

 

I adapted the recipe from a book my ex boss gave me when I was working for her entitled, Fresh Every Day, More Great Recipes From Foster's Market, by Sara Foster.  I love this book.  It is full of lovely, do-able recipes.  I used to use it a lot when I worked at the Manor as my boss liked this kind of food, and I have referred to it many times since. Its just a good good cook book.

 

I decided to use the recipe in the book for the Curry Coconut King Prawns because I knew I would be unable to taste the finished dish myself, and I trust Sara Foster's recipes and culinary intuition as far as what tastes good.

 

It was a simple recipe.  You need only to soften some onion until translucent and then begin cooking the prawns. You do this in batches, cooking them first on one side and then on the other.

 

You need only cook them until they are pink on each side.  DON'T over cook them!  Overcooked prawns have a rubbery texture that is not very nice.

 

Once you have cooked them, you scoop them out and hold them, covered lightly with some foil in a bowl while you make the sauce.  The sauce is also very simple.  Just coconut milk, stock, dry sherry, curry powder and garlic. 

  

This gets reduced and then you stir the prawns, onions and their juices back into the sauce and heat through briefly along with a handful of chopped fresh coriander, and you're done!  A garnish of fresh minced spring onions and Bob's your Uncle. You have a delicious curry all ready for the people you love to enjoy along with some rice or whatever it is they enjoy with curries!  Easy peasy and according to Todd, most delicious!

Yield: 4 - 6

Author: Marie Rayner

Curry Coconut King Prawns

The perfect supper for when the nights are beginning to draw in and you begin to crave richer foods. Quick, easy and delicious.

ingredients:

• 3 TBS olive oil
• 1 small onion, peeled and minced
• 1 1/2 pounds king prawns, peeled and deveined
• salt and pepper
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 (1-inch) piece of fresh ginger, julienned (about 2 TBS)
• 120ml dry sherry (1/2 cup)
• 240ml unsweetened coconut milk (1 cup)
• 240ml chicken or fish stock (1 cup)
• a handful of chopped fresh coriander leaf (cilantro)
• 2 spring onions, trimmed and minced

instructions:

How to cook Curry Coconut King Prawns

1. Heat half of the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook over medium high heat until soft and translucent without browning. Add half of the prawns, season with salt and pepper. Saute for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side until pink. Remove the prawns from the pan, reserving the onion and pan juices. Place on a serving platter and loosely tent with foil and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining prawns and oil.
2. Stir the curry powder, garlic and ginger into the pan you cooked the shrimp in. Saute for a minute. Add the sherry and cook for a minute longer, scraping up any brown bits. Add the coconut milk and broth. Bring to the boil. Reduce the temperature to a low boil and cook for 10 to 12 minutes until the sauce thickens and reduces by two thirds. Return the prawns to the pan and cook for a further minute to heat through and coat the prawns with the sauce. Remove from the heat, scatter with the coriander and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine. Garnish with the minced spring onions and serve.

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Todd felt really spoilt when I served this up to him.  He was licking his chops big-time! 

A few things about Seafresh:

• Same Day dispatch on orders received before 1 PM.
• All packages are carefully hand packed.
• Free delivery on orders above £50, £8 on orders below that amount. 
• Responsibly and sustainably sourced.
• Air Blast Frozen at source within 4 hours of being caught.
• Wide variety to choose from. 

Do check them out on their website to find out more.
Follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Note - Although I was gifted with product free of charge for the purposes of review, I was not required to write a positive review in exchange, nor would my integrity allow me to recommend anything if I did not truly like it. Any and all my opinions are my own entirely.

Up Tomorrow:  Cheddar & Corn Chowder 

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Indian Spiced Cabbage

 

This is an old, old recipe copied into my Big Blue Binder from an old community cookbook from back home in Nova Scotia. I don't know who it is accredited to originally, only that it is a delicious way to prepare cabbage.

 

It uses fairly simple ingredients that most people have in their homes, with the exception of the Garam Masala, but I am fairly certain that if you don't have the Garam Masala in your home, you would have at least the ingredients to make your own.  Garam Masala is deliciously aromatic mix of spices used to bring flavour and warmth to many Indian dishes, so no worries about making it as if you are a person who loves curries, you are sure to use it up.  I have included below the recipe and instructions to make your own.  The spices themselves smell heavenly when they are toasting. Its a very simple make.

 

Author: Marie Rayner

Garam Masala

prep time: 3 minscook time: 3 minstotal time: 6 mins

An Indian Spice mix for use in East Indian cookery.

ingredients:

2 TBS coriander seed

1 TBS cumin seed

2 tsp black peppercorn

1/2 cinnamon stick (or 2 tsp ground cinnamon)

1/2 tsp cardamon seeds (from about 20 cardamom pods)

1 tsp fennel seed

1/2 tsp whole cloves

2 dried bay leaves

instructions:

Toasting the seeds is the secret to a well flavoured Garam Masala. Don't
 be tempted to skip this step.  Toast the whole spices in a dry frying
pan until they are very fragrant and a shade or two darker. Tip into a
spice grinder and grind to a powder. Alternately you can use a pestle
and mortar. (Labour intensive but it works)  Store in an airtight
container in a dark place for up to six months.

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So is this dish.  The hardest and most labour intensive part is the shredding of the cabbage.  I like to use white cabbage for this as it lends itself beautifully to the long cook time and I prefer the melting, almost buttery texture of it when it is done.

 

You can use whatever cabbage you prefer however I cannot speak for the results as I have only ever used hard white cabbage, which I believe is one of the most common ones in the shops and readily available everywhere. 

 

It makes a great Indian side dish when you are cooking an Indian meal. You can make it ahead of time and just heat it up at the last minute.  Leftovers are lovely stirred through cooked rice and reheated. (Just saying.)

 

I have found it to also be a very popular dish at a covered dish or pot luck supper.  Amazingly (or maybe not amazingly) everyone seems to love it.

 

I am not sure how authentically Indian it is, probably not very, but that doesn't really matter as it is fabulously tasty!

  

It is also delicious mixed into leftover fried potatoes.  (Again just saying.)

Yield: 4 - 6Author: Marie Rayner

Indian Spiced Cabbage

prep time: 10 minscook time: 2 hourtotal time: 2 hours and 10 mins

A deliciously spiced side dish with East Indian flavours. I could eat a whole bowlful of this and nothing else.

ingredients:

1 medium head green cabbage, shredded finely

1/3 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric

2 tsp mild chili powder

2 tsp garam masala (store bought or make your own, preferable)

2 tsp black pepper

sunflower oil

instructions:

In a large pot,heat oil to cover the bottom (1/4
inch deep) until it begins to shimmer.  Add the cumin seeds and cook for
 about 30 seconds until it begins to pop and smell fragrant. Add the
remaining spices, seasonings and the cabbage, tossing to coat the
cabbage in the spice/oil mixture. Cover and cook gently, over very low
heat, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the cabbage is meltingly tender. Serve
 hot.

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I cooked only half a recipe today and found myself wondering why I had not cooked the whole cabbage, its just so very, very good. I hope you will try it and enjoy it as much as we do! Bon Appetit!

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Lamb Rogan Josh

 

My Todd is very fond of a curry, so every now and then I make one for him.  I have a few Indian cookery books that I like to use if I am making one from scratch. Yes, I confess, often I will just use a good jarred sauce (Lloyd Grossman makes lovely sauces) but the other day I decided to make him a Lamb Curry from scratch and Lamb Rogan Josh is one of his favourites. 

 

Curry's are not all that difficult to make.  They are like stews really, but with completely different spices and aromatics than what you normally use in a stew.   

 

This one uses cubed lamb. Neck fillet if you can get it, or leg of lamb.  I find it most annoying that in the shops you can normally only get New Zealand lamb when we raise beautiful lamb right on our own doorsteps.  I adore British/Welsh lamb.  It is beautiful.  For this curry I used New Zealand leg of lamb, cubed. 

 

To begin you will need to make a curry paste.  This is as simple as bunging a few ingredients into a blender/food processor and blitzing them until smooth . . . coriander stems (cilantro), red chili, cumin and coriander seeds, paprika, turmeric and tomato puree.  Its very simple.

 

To start the curry off  whole spices (cinnamon sticks, cardamom, bay leaf and cloves) are  fried in a bit of oil until quite fragrant, which only takes a few minutes.  Then you add the onion and the lamb, quickly browning it off, and then adding some garlic and grated fresh ginger root.

 

Next, you stir in the curry paste that you have made, making sure that the lamb is well coated in it and then a quantity of water is added.  The lamb is then simmered until the juices reduce and thicken and the lamb becomes very  tender . . . this takes about 45 minutes or so.

 

Finally you stir in some thick yogurt which makes the sauce somewhat creamy.  Oh, but it is quite delicious.  Its not as mild as most of the curries I make, but its not blast your head off hot either.  Todd really likes it. 

 

I like to serve it with Pilau Rice and poppadoms.  Have you discovered poppadoms?  They are like Indian potato chips,  or thin crisp tortillas, except they are made from ground lentils and fried until very crisp.  I buy them ready made and heat them in the oven.  You can buy them plain or with flavours added, the most common being garlic and coriander.  That is that crisp bread you see on the side there. Oh but they are some good!

 

*Lamb Rogan Josh*

Serves 4 

Printable Recipe  

A moderately spiced curry from Kashmir in the North of India. This is an area which is famous for its aromatic and sumptuous curries! 

For the Lamb:

1 TBS peanut oil

1 (2 inch) cinnamon stick

5 whole cardamom pods slightly bruised

3 dried bay leaves

4 whole cloves

1 onion, peeled and chopped

600g lamb neck fillet, trimmed and cubed

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger-root, peeled and grated

100g fat free natural yogurt (scant half cup)

For the curry paste:

1 bunch fresh coriander, leaves and stems separated

1 red chili, seeded and finely chopped

2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground

2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground

1 tsp black peppercorns, coarsely ground

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground turmeric

2 tsp garam masala

2 TBS tomato puree (tomato paste)

400ml water (14 fluid ounces)

 

First make the paste.  Put the coriander stalks, tomato puree, red chili, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns, paprika, turmeric and garam masala into a small food processor.  Blitz to smooth.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, bay leaves, and cloves.  Fry for 2 minutes until very fragrant.  Add the onion and lamb.  Stir fry for 4 to 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and ginger root.  Cook for a few minutes longer.  Stir in the curry paste and cook for a few minutes longer. Add the water, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer over low heat for 40 to 50 minutes until the meat is tender.  Stir in the yogurt. Garnish with the coriander leaf and serve.

 

A curry is a funny thing  . . .  you crave them, you make one and then you are happy not to have another one for a month or so until you start craving one again.   Over here they are quite traditional fare on Saturday nights or for eating after a pub crawl. My pub crawling days are long since over, but every now and then I do enjoy a good curry for our tea. This one makes a change from Chicken curry, and is moderately spiced.  Its very good.  Adapted from a recipe found on BBC Good Food.  Bon Appetit!

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A Delicious Vegetable Curry

 

My husband and I recently decided that we are going to eat a more plant based diet, having fish or chicken only occasionally.  I have been experiencing some real digestive problems over these past few months, and we really feel inspired to incorporate some healthier eating principles into our life style.  I am also going to be experimenting with fermenting. We will see how that goes!  I admit I am a bit terrified of poisoning myself, so I am somewhat hesitant, so if any of you has any advice along those lines to share, I would be most grateful.  I still do have meat to use up in the freezer so there will be occasional forays into that area until it is all gone, and I will be the first to admit that I don't think Christmas would be Christmas without a roast turkey for me, and I do adore roast chicken.

 

Today I cooked us a delicious vegetable curry for our dinner, just using what I had in the refrigerator and larder.  It turned out beautiful!  I incorporated cauliflower, sweet potatoes, onions, fresh tomatoes, and courgettes (zucchini) along with some frozen peas and fresh spinach.

 

I made good use of some fresh ginger, plenty of fresh garlic and a variety of spices to bring plenty of flavour into the mix.

 

There is ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric for colour, cayenne, cinnamon, salt and pepper and a touch of tomato paste.

 

Very fragrant and very delicious.  I also used a mix of vegetable broth and a creamy coconut milk for  a lovey richness that we both enjoyed very much.

 

I served it simply, in heated bowls, with some cooked brown rice (protein there!) and a dish of a good Indian chutney on the side.  Neither one of us missed the meat.  This was probably one of the most delicious curries I have ever made.

 

*A Delicious Vegetable Curry*

Serves 4

Printable Recipe 

 

Who says Vegetarian, plant based food, has to be boring?  This delicious curry is anything but boring!  Healthy, delicious, easy and filled with flavour! 

2 TBS olive oil

1 large brown onion, peeled and diced

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

1 TBS fresh finely grated gingerroot

1 TBS ground coriander

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

3/4 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (Or to taste)

1 TBS tomato puree (tomato paste)

480ml vegetable broth (2 cups)

240ml creamy coconut milk (1 cup)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

fine sea salt and ground black pepper to taste 

For the vegetables:

1  head of cauliflower, trimmed and broken into florets (about 4 cups)

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 medium courgette, washed and cut into cubes (zucchini)

2 medium tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and coarsely chopped

150g frozen peas (1 cup)

3 large handfuls of  fresh baby spinach, picked over and coarse stems discarded

the juice and zest of one lime 

To serve:

cooked brown basamati rice

your favourite Indian chutney

 

Heat the oil in a large saucepan.  Add the onions.  Cook, stirring, until golden brown.  Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and ground cumin.  Cook and stir for about 30 seconds then stir inthe tomato paste, stirring it in completely to incorporate.  Add the vegetable broth, coconut milk, cinnamon, salt and black pepper to taste. (About 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper)  Bring to the boil, then reduce to a low simmer and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.   

Add the cauliflower, sweet potatoes, courgette and chopped tomatoes.  Bring back to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.  Stir in the frozen peas and cook for about 3 minutes.  Add the spinach one handful at a time, stirring it in to wilt the spinach.  Stir in the lime juice and zest.  Taste and adjust seasoning as required.  Serve immediately. 

Note - Don't cook for too long when you add the spinach. You will want to maintain the green colour, so only a couple of minutes is sufficient. You only want to wilt the spinach.  

 

There are plenty of leftovers for us to heat up and enjoy tomorrow as well.  I might try making my own Naan or Chapati to go along with it.  Now that would be fun I think!  I hope you will give this a go.  Vegetarian food need not ever be boring and I am on a quest to prove that fact to Todd!  Bon Appetit! 

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