STIR FRIED PRAWNS AND SPINACH
This is adapted from a recipe from Keith Floyd’s Great Curries, a really great book for people who like a bit of extra heat with their meat (er, or something). I had some frozen raw prawns that cried out every time I opened the freezer “we’ve been here over two weeks and you’ve not even given us a second glance, look at our grey, frozen bodies, just waiting to be turned pink again, like a corpse waiting to be embalmed at the undertakers….” I guess all that cold, northern sea air must have played tricks with their minds (or mine…).
Anyway, this is a quick, tasty, delicious and nutritious dish, perfect for when you feel like you need a little post-weekend restoration.
More of a spicy stew than an actual curry (no curry powder goes into the mix), this is a really quick but tasty supper dish. I used frozen raw prawns because I think they have a better texture and taste than the pre-cooked ones you buy on the chiller in the supermarket but whatever you have would be fine. The flavours of this dish are very bold, incredibly savoury and really satisfying.
I used chopped fresh cherry tomatoes because I didn’t have any large tomatoes but – to ensure that if you replicate this dish all goes well for you – I would recommend large vine tomatoes because the small ones tend to collapse and you’re left with just the skin. This dish would be far better with whole chunks of lovely, fresh tomatoes.
This is a wholeheartedly gutsy dish, easy to double for guests and it looks impressive (but then, what prawn dish doesn’t?).
BURMESE PRAWN AND SPINACH CURRY
INGREDIENTS
Marinade for Prawns
- 400 g Prawns preferably raw but cooked will suffice (just don't cook for as long)
- 3 Garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon Soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon Fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon Ginger root fresh, grated
- 1 Chilli fresh, mild, de-seeded and finely chopped
The other ingredients
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Small onion finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon Garam masala
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon Chilli powder to taste
- 4 Tomatoes large, chopped into large dice
- 225 g Spinach
- 90 g Coriander fresh, chopped finely
INSTRUCTIONS
Marinade the prawns
- To a mixing bowl, add the fish sauce, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, turmeric and fresh chopped chilli.
- Mix well, then stir in the prawns, making sure they are completely coated.
- Pop back in the fridge, covered, and leave to marinade for 30 mins to an hour.
To cook the prawns curry
- Heat up olive oil in a wok or large frying pan.
- Sauté the onion until soft and fragrant.
- Turn the heat up and add all the spices except the salt.
- Cook for about 1 minute so the spices release all their optimum flavours, stirring all the time.
- Add the tomato, stir and cook for another minute
- Then add the prawns and their marinade.
- When they turn pink (or, if they are already cooked, just heat them through), add some salt and then the spinach, stirring it swiftly in the pan until it just starts to wilt.
- Taste for seasoning and serve, as we did with some buttered rice or just as is.
