Red Prawn Curry

Ingredients :
• 3 Tbs Red Curry Paste
• 2 cups of coconut milk
• 1/4 cup julienned ginger (optional)
• 1 - 1.5 kgs of peeled green prawns (I like to leave tails on)
• 1 tbs palm sugar
• 2 tbs fish sauce
• 1 cup Thai basil or sweet basil (not shown in the picture above)
• 3 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded

Red Curry Paste :•15 Dried Red Chillies• 2 Tbs coriander root, chopped (This refers to all the roots and the bottom 1 cm of stalk)• 2 tsp coriander seeds, roasted• 1 tsp cumin seeds, roasted• 2 tsp white peppercorns• 2 small red onions• 12 cloves of garlic• 2 stalks of lemon glass, finely sliced• 1 tbs galangal (looks like ginger but tastes quite different. Easy to get fresh or you could use pickled galangal)• 1tbs lime zest• 1/2 tsp ground mace• 2 tsp salt• 2 tsp shrimp paste (roasted)

Red Curry Pest Preparation:
• Soak chillies in hot water for 30 minutes. (Try to choose the reddest ones as this will make for a better colour in your final product)
• Dry roast coriander and cumin seeds in a non stick pan until browned and fragrant.
• Keep them moving to avoid burning.
• This should only take 2-3 minutes.
• To roast the shrimp paste place on a doubled up piece of foil. Fold up to make a neat parcel then place foil directly on the gas flame for 1 minute. Turn with tongs and cook for another minute. Allow to cool slightly before unwrapping.
• Remove red chillies from the water and chop finely. In a mortar and pestle grind the roasted coriander seeds and cumin seeds with the coriander root and white peppercorns. Add all the remaining ingredients and pound until a smooth paste forms. Your curry paste will last for 2 - 3 weeks in a glass jar in the fridge.

Method :
1. Heat 1/2 cup of coconut milk in a wok and add the curry paste and ginger.
2. Cook until fragrant and the oils are starting to separate from the milk, about 5-10 minutes. Add palm sugar and fish sauce and remaining coconut milk and simmer for 1 minute.
3. Add prawns and simmer until just cooked through, 2 - 3 minutes. Check seasoning and adjust to taste.
4. Stir in basil and transfer to serving bowl.
5. Garnish with kaffir lime leaves and serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice.

Daab Chingri

This is a bengali delicacy.

Ingredients:

• Daab (Un riped or Tender Coconut with a layer of kernel in it) - 1 Big
• Coconut water or Daab water
• Jumbo Prawns (cleaned and unskinned)- 500 grms
• Mustard Oil - 1 cup
• Mustard Powder - 2 tsp
• Onion paste - 4 tbsp
• Garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Ginger paste - 2 tsp
• Green chillies (fine paste) - 5 to 6
• Poppy seeds (grounded) - 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Homemade curd - 1/2 cup
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Flour for making dough
• Charmagaj (Melon seeds) - Grounded into a paste 3 tbsp (Optional)

Method :
1. Cut out the top of the big green coconut with a fine knife in a small round shape (2 inch diameter) and keep the cut out part aside. Make sure the green coconut is full of kernel (Please note that if your green coconut does not have a soft kernel inside then while cooking the curry add coconut paste into the mixture. Without this there will not be any taste at all).
2. Pour the coconut water in a separate bowl.
3. Add salt, turmeric powder and red chilli powder to the uncooked prawns and keep it in a cool place for an hour.
4. In a pan pour mustard oil and lightly saute the prawns for not more than 2 minutes. Let it cool.
5. In that same pan add onion paste and saute. Add ginger-garlic paste, grounded poppy seeds and keep stirring. Add green chilli paste, a pinch of turmeric and red chilli powder.
6. Add the curd and stir. You can also add Charmagaj paste to add volume and taste.
7. Add salt and sugar and stir till the mixture turns into a paste. At last add the coconut water. Cook for a few more moments.
8. When done, pour the entire mixture over the prawns and mix it well.
9. Make a soft dough out of a cup of flour.
10. Pour the entire prawn curry mixture into the big green coconut, place the cut out lid back into the coconut and seal the mouth with the dough.
11. Take a 5 litre size pressure cooker and fill it half with water. Place the entire coconut inside and close the lid and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until steam comes out. (In case have a microwave: Place the entire coconut inside the microwave. And cook at medium range for 10 minutes.)
12. When done take the coconut out and cut open the lid.
13. In a serving dish pour out the entire curry (gravy and all) and serve hot. You can eat it with plain rice, polau or luchis.

Crispy Fried Prawn

Ingredients:

• 25 to 30 medium sized prawn
• Corn flour (as required)
• 2 tsp. Ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp. Soy sauce
• ¼ tsp. Pepper powder
• 1 tsp. Chilli powder
• 1 tbsp. Vinegar
• Oil for frying
• Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Shell the prawns carefully so that the tails are left unbroken. Devein and rinse the prawns with water. Pat them dry.

2. To the prawns, add all the ingredients except oil and corn flour. Toss thoroughly and marinate for 1/2 hour.

3. Now add as much corn flour as is required to absorb all the moisture.

4. Take oil in a frying pan and heat it. Take a few prawns at a time and fry them in moderately heated oil.

5. Serve at once.

Crispy Prawn with Semolina

Ingredients:

• 20 king prawns
• 1 tbsp ginger minced
• 1 tbsp garlic minced
• 3 green chillies chopped fine
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 2 eggs
• 250 gms bread crumbs
• 250 gms suji (semolina)

Method:

1. Clean the prawns, devein and wash. Pat dry.
2. Mix the ginger garlic, green chillies, lemon juice, salt and pepper together and marinate the prawns in this mix for 3-4 hours.
3. Mix the flour and egg together in a bowl and blend to remove any lumps.
4. Mix the bread crumbs and suji (semolina) together in a flat plate.
5. Dip the prawns in the batter, then roll in bread crumb-semolina mix to coat nicely and deep fry till golden.
6. Garnish with a squeeze of lemon and serve hot with ketchup.

Toast Skagen (Swedish Prawn Toast)

Ingredients:

• 4 slices of white bread
• 320g peeled cooked prawns
• 4tbs mayonnaise
• 1tbs Dijon mustard
• 150g whitefish roe
• 50g fresh dill
• 1 lemon
• Butter

Method:

1. Cut off the crusts of the bread slices.               
2. Saute the bread golden brown on both sides in a little butter.  Drain on paper towels.
3. If the prawns are large, cut into smaller pieces.
4. Save 4 sprigs of dill for garnish.  Finely chop the rest of the dill and mix with the prawns, mayonnaise and mustard.
5. Divide the mixture into 4, and place on top of the bread slices.
6. Shape the whitefish roe on top of each toast and garnish each with a sprig of dill and serve with a wedge of lemon.

Prawn Bisque

Ingredients:

•  450 gm Shell-on North Atlantic Prawns

•  450gr extra shells (optional)

•  2.3 litres Water

•  1 fresh Chili

•  1 medium clove of Garlic

•  90 gm Butter

•  1 peeled and diced big Carrot

•  1 chopped large Onion

•  1 bouquet garni

1 bay leaf

3 sprigs thyme

4 large sprigs parsley (including stalks)

10 cm (4 inch) piece celery stalked with leaves

two 10 cm (4 inch) pieces leek (green part)

Place the bay leaf, thyme, parsley and celery on one piece of green leek. Cover with the remaining piece of green leek. Tie securely with fine string, leaving a length of string attached so that the bouquet garni can be easily retrieved.

•  90 gm Rice

•  6 fresh Tomatoes, peeled (by dipping in boiling water), seeded and pulped

•  30 gm Tomato Puree

•  1 shot of Brandy (optional)

•  200ml Dry White Wine

•  Salt to taste

•  ½ teaspoon freshly-ground Black Pepper

•  100ml Double Cream

Method:

1. Shell the prawns, keeping the shells and setting the prawns aside in the fridge. Put the prawn shells, the water, chili and garlic - plus any shells you may have saved up in the deep freeze, in a non-corrosive (so not aluminium) pan and bring it to the boil. Reduce the cooking speed to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, skimming off any froth as it comes to the surface.

2. Drain the stock and discard the solids.

3. Melt the butter, over a gentle heat, in a stainless-steel pan big enough to hold all the ingredients.

4. Add the carrot and onion and soften them without browning.

5. Add the peeled prawns, the flambé them with the brandy (if using). Add the white wine, then when it starts to bubble, the stock.

6. Add all the remaining ingredients, apart from the cream. Cook for 20 minutes

7. Remove from the heat and take out the bouquet garni. Pass the soup through a strong sieve using the back of a wooden spoon, or process in a food processor in batches, don't overfill the bowl, as the soup might leak, and will be very hot.

8. Return the soup to the pan and check the seasoning.

9. The soup can be served now, with the last minute addition of a little cream.