Recipe of the week: a top chef’s favourite

Devilled chilli prawns

The acclaimed London restaurant Hoppers – named after the bowl-shaped rice pancakes that are a staple of Sri Lankan cuisine –

opens its third branch this month, in King’s Cross. The recipe below is a favourite of head chef and manager Karan Gokani

Mumbai-born Karan Gokani worked as a la awyer before devoting

imself to his first love, co ooking. In 2015, with is wife Sunaina Sethi nd her two siblings, h e set up the original Hoppers in Soho; the se econd branch, in Marylebone, follow wed in 2017. An instant hit, Hoppers has been credited with helping to make Sri Lankan food mainstream in Britain. 300g raw prawns, cleaned and peeled Sea salt and pepper

2 tsp red chilli flakes

2 tbsp vegetable or rapeseed oil

¹⁄³ of an inch of a cinnamon stick 1 inch of ginger, finely chopped 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 2-3 green chillies, cut into slivers (seeds removed if you prefer it less spicy)

1 sprig of curry leaves

1 medium tomato, finely chopped

3 tbsp tomato ketchup

1 tsp coconut vinegar (cider vinegar may be used as an alternative)

1 tsp soy sauce

1 medium onion, cut into large cubes ½ tsp sugar (optional)

To garnish: 1 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped

4 spring onions, sliced

• Generally season the prawns and add half a teaspoon of chilli flakes. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a wok on a medium heat.

• Add the cinnamon stick, ginger and garlic and stir fry until the garlic turns golden brown, but make sure not to let it burn. Add the remaining chilli flakes, green chilli

and curry leaves. After 20 seconds add the chopped tomato and the ketchup.

• After 3-4 minutes of stir-frying, add all the remaining ingredients, except the prawns and garnish, and stir fry on a medium high heat for 5-6 minutes until the sauce is thick. Add sugar and salt to taste. • Add the prawns and stir fry on a high heat until cooked through, for 3-4 minutes.

• Take off the heat and garnish with the coriander and spring onions.