Coconut and tamarind prawns

For a flavour-packed and elegant meal for four ready in 20 minutes, look no further than this Modern Asian inspired coconut and tamarind prawn dish by Adam Liaw. For an extra optional punch of flavour, make your own rasam powder for this dish, otherwise you can also buy a pack from your local Indian grocer to save on time.

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Series. Cooking. Rated PG.

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The Cook Up with Adam Liaw

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Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 cm x 2 cm piece ginger, thinly sliced
• 2 large red chillies, thinly sliced
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 200 ml passata
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp sugar
• 200 ml coconut cream
• 12 large raw prawns, peeled
• 1 tbsp rasam powder (optional, see Note)
• 2 tbsp roughly chopped coriander, to serve
• 1 bird’s eye chilli, sliced, to serve
• Cooked rice, to serve

Rasam powder (optional)

• 2 tbsp channa dal
• 2 tbsp toor dal
• ½ cup coriander seeds
• 5 large dried red chillies
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 2 tbsp cumin seeds
• 10 curry leaves
• ¼ tsp asafoetida powder (hing)

Allow extra cooking and cooling time if making the rasam powder.

Instructions

1. If making the rasam powder, heat a medium saucepan over medium heat and dry roast the dals until fragrant. Remove from the saucepan. Add the coriander seeds, chillies and peppercorns to the pan and roast until fragrant and the chillies are brittle. Remove from the saucepan. Add the fenugreek and cumin seeds to the pan and roast until the cumin seeds are fragrant and start to pop. Remove from the saucepan. Lastly, roast the curry leaves until they are brittle, then remove from the pan. Allow everything to cool completely, add asafoetida and then grind in a spice grinder to a very fine powder. If you grind the spices when they are warm, the natural oils in the spices will turn the powder into a paste.
2. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the oil, onion, garlic, ginger and chilli. Fry for about 3 minutes, then add the turmeric, passata, tamarind, fish sauce, sugar and about ½ a cup of water. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes, then add the coconut cream and simmer for a further minute.
3. Butterfly the prawns and add to the gravy, along with the rasam powder, if using. Cook for a further 2 minutes until the prawns are cooked through and then taste and adjust seasoning. Stir through the coriander and chilli and serve with rice.

Note

Rasam powder, also known as rasam podi, is a fragrant spice mix used in South Indian cooking. This recipe will make a lot more than you need. The extra should be stored in an airtight container. You can also use store-bought rasam powder for this recipe.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.