Chilli and coconut prawns

 I'm sure I'm not the only one who sometimes struggles to decide what to cook during the week. A midweek meal needs to be made with ingredients commonly found in the pantry and fridge, be quick to prepare, and still be interesting. Particularly in the warmer months, this recipe ticks all those boxes.

I must reiterate that a rice cooker is almost an essential piece of cooking equipment in your home. This dish is best served with steamed rice. The "set and forget" feature of a rice cooker simplifies the cooking process. Of course, you can also cook rice on the stovetop; if you choose to do so, I recommend using the absorption method.

Now, let's talk about the prawns. Depending on your location and the time of year, the variety of prawns available to you will differ. While there are over 3,000 species of prawns, only 10-15 are commonly consumed. Prawns can be purchased either green (uncooked) or cooked (which are slightly pink in colour). For this recipe, you'll want green prawns that can be marinated to soak up all the wonderful aromatics before being quickly cooked. A great resource for understanding the different types of prawns is available at https://www.taste.com.au/quick-easy/articles/complete-guide-to-prawns/2edybwvn.

I used green prawn cutlets for this dish, prepared by my fishmonger. He removed the head and outer shell, leaving only the flesh and tail, and also deveined the prawns. It's worth noting that prawns aren't always deveined when you buy them. The "vein" is actually the prawn's intestine, and if you need to devein the prawns yourself, here's a handy video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=718A8XtADEw.

This recipe is easy to scale up. The marinade and sauce quantities here are enough for up to 24 prawns (4 serves). We like to serve it with lots of sauce. For all the tips on making this delicious meal watch my video in the link below the recipe.

Serves 2

• 12 deveined raw prawn cutlets

• 270 ml coconut cream

Marinade

• 2 cm fresh ginger, finely chopped into matchsticks

• 2 cloves garlic chopped

• 2 tbl chopped coriander

• 2 limes, juiced

• 1 tsp tumeric

• 3 tbl vegetable oil

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 1 cayenne chilli, finely chopped

• 1 tbl brown sugar

• 2 stalks of lemon grass, whites only

• Salt to taste

Combine all marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Place 1/2 cup of marinade into a small saucepan and set aside. Place the prawns in a shallow dish and cover with the remainder of the marinade. Toss to make sure all the prawns are coated thoroughly. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Whilst the prawns are marinating prepare your rice in the rice cooker.

To make the sauce add coconut cream to the reserved marinade, and gently heat. Be careful not to boil as the coconut cream will split.

Preheat a griddle or BBQ plate. Cook the prawns for 2-3 minutes on each side.

Serve with steamed rice and spoon over the creamy sauce.

Updated October 2023