Prawn curry with savoury rice

Serves: 4 Time: 40 minutes Ingredients: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 x quantity curry paste yielded – from the recipe of making curry paste 2 tablespoons tomato paste ½ cup tinned chopped tomatoes ½ teaspoon sugar 400g tinned coconut milk 600g deveined prawns (tails on) Juice of half a lime Salt, to taste

For the paste:

1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 teaspoon coriander seeds ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 shallots, diced 1 garlic clove, minced 3cm ginger, grated 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped 1½ teaspoons garam masala 1½ teaspoon turmeric 1½ teaspoon chilli powder ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes ¾ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar ¼ cup water 1 tablespoon lime juice

Method:

Start with the paste. In a dry frying pan (no oil added), toast the cumin, coriander and mustard seeds over medium heat until fragrant and the mustard seeds start to pop.

Transfer to a grinder or place in a mortar and pestle and crush until fine and powdery.

In the same pan, heat the vegetable oil and sauté the onion until soft and caramelised. This should take about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and cook for 2 minutes.

Now add the masala, turmeric, chilli powder, chilli flakes, salt and sugar. Stir through for several minutes.

Lastly, add the finely ground spices, water and lime juice and mix to combine. Transfer the paste to a processor and blitz until smooth.

To make the prawn curry, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a pan.

Add 1 x quantity curry paste, tomato paste, chopped tomatoes and sugar.

Bring up to a gentle boil and then add the coconut milk. Simmer uncovered on a medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes.

Add the prawns to the sauce and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until cooked through.

Add the juice of half a lime and check the seasoning. Serve immediately with savoury rice.

Notes:

I love the flavor of home-made curry paste – that is why I prefer to make my own when making curries. But if you prefer, you can also use store-bought curry paste, depending on your heat preference.