Easy Prawn Curry

The problem with a lot of Sri Lankan recipes is that I learned to cook them from watching my mother and her mother. As such, nailing down the quantities has always been a struggle for me when I have to share the recipe with anyone because so much of the cooking process is instinctual; "touch and feel, trial and error" so to speak. I have tried my utmost to be vigilant with the measures and quantities of the ingredients so that I can relay this to everyone as clearly as I can. Do keep in mind though, that things like the amount of chili and saltiness you want in there can be adjusted to personal taste. Having said, the whole point of this prawn curry is that it's spicy, tangy and the perfect accompaniment to rice or bread. I do also have a secret ingredient that I use in this particular recipe. Through trial and error I found that this condiment really brings out the umami goodness of the curry. The other note about this curry is that I d not use an kind of tomato as a souring agent for the sauce.

Before we begin, a few notes:

Type of prawn: Fresh and frozen prawns both work well for this. I use fresh Tiger prawns with the shell and tail on, but you can use peeled prawns as well. The shells do give the most of the flavour to this dish so it's recommended to buy unpeeled prawns.If you are using peeled prawns, make the curry sauce as instructed without the prawns and add the prawns into the sauce.

Lime vs Lemon: Try not to substitute the lime juice with lemon juice. The flavour profiles are completely different, and this curry needs the cutting, crisp acidity of lime as opposed to the somewhat more floral perfumey touch that lemon has.

Marinade: You can marinade the prawns beforehand in one teaspoon each of chilli powder, salt, pepper, lime juice and half a teaspoon of turmeric. This is optional but I would recommend it if you have extra 20 minutes.

Fish substitutions: This recipe lends itself really well to white fish such as kingfish, or even tuna and blue marlin.

Ingredients

• 400g raw, unpeeled prawns

• 200ml thin coconut milk

• 100ml thick coconut milk

• 1 red onion, sliced

• 2-3 cloves garlic

• 3cm piece fresh ginger, sliced

• 1 quill cinnamon

• 1 medium tomato

• 1 stick lemongrass, cut into eighths and bruised

• 1 sprig fresh curry leaves

• 1 green chili sliced

• 1 lime, juiced

• 1 tbs good quality chili powder

• 2 tsp black pepper

• 2 tsp turmeric

• 1/2 tsp unroasted curry powder OR Jaffna Curry Powder

• 1/2 cumin

• 5cm piece Pandan leaf

• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

• 2-3 cardamom pods, crushed

• 3 tsp fish sauce

• Handful of Moringa leaves (optional)

• 1tbs oil for frying

• Salt to taste

• 1 piece Garcinia (Goraka) optional

Method

If using prawns with the peel, remove all the shells and heads from the prawn.

In a pot, heat up the oil on a high flame. Give it 2-3 minutes and then add in half of the he cinnamon stick, lemongrass, pandan leaf, fenugreek seeds, cardamom pods and all of the prawn shells and heads.. Fry for a few minutes until fragrant.

Add in half of the curry leaves, onion, pandan leaves along with all of the tomato and ginger. Also add in a teaspoon of salt along with half of the turmeric, chili and curry powder listed. Fry this aromat mixture off for a few minutes; this encourages the spices to lose that raw "bitey" taste.

Add in the thin coconut milk and allow the prawn shells to simmer in the coconut milk sauce until the liquid has reduced by at least half. Remove the shells and heads from the broth and season with fish sauce.

In a pan heat up 1/2 tbs oil on a high flame. Add in the remaining cinnamon stick, lemongrass, pandan leaf, fenugreek seeds, cardamom pods, onion, garlic and curry leaves, followed by green chillies, the remaining spices and a small piece of garcinia for additional flavour.

Then add in the prawns and the thick coconut milk.. The prawns will cook very quickly, in under five minutes, so make sure you don't boil the curry for too long. When the sauce comes back up to a boil after adding the thick coconut milk, turn the heat off. The characteristic colour of this curry all comes down to using good quality turmeric and choosing a chili powder that has both a strong colour and lots of kick.

Take the curry off the heat completely and squeeze in the lime juice, giving the red-gold goodness one more stir through. It's important to add the lime only after the pan is off the flame because lime juice can make the coconut milk split.

Serve this with rice, with bread, or with milk rice and a side of lunu miris for the perfect breakfast meal!

Sav xx