Prawn and Coconut Curry (includes Thermomix method)

A quick and easy curry with minimal preparation - on the table in under half an hour.

A simple, tasty curry that you've probably got most if not all of the ingredients for already! If you want something quick and mild but still delicious, just leave out the chilli and ginger and other optional items (in italics), leaving you just an onion and a couple of garlic cloves to peel and chop in the preparation.

 

You can use any prawns you like - they don't have to be raw tiger prawns or anything fancy, they can be a packet of ready-cooked and peeled little prawns, or some de-frosted cooked and peeled jumbo prawns. Just reduce the cooking time to heat them through for a minute or so, so you don't over-cook them. If you've got them with head, shell and everything else intact, the lovely Gordon will show you how to deal with them here.

This recipe serves two, and it's easily doubled. Calories from 243 per serving (using light coconut milk - 265 calories including all the options. Serve with 200g cauliflower rice for an extra 70 calories). [Calories in square brackets]



Ingredients

• 150g large raw prawns, (de-shelled and de-veined - this is about 10 large tiger prawns) or use cooked prawns if you prefer [150]
• 1 onion (100g) [41]
• 2 garlic cloves [12]
• 1/2 red chilli, deseeded (optional) [3]
• 1/2 inch root ginger, peeled (optional) [2]
• 1 tsp oil (e.g. coconut, ghee if not cooking dairy free, sunflower - or use more if you need it, and you're not counting calories) [45]
• 1 tsp madras curry powder (or your favourite - add more to taste) [7]
• 1/2 tsp turmeric (optional) [4]
•  2 tsp ground coriander (optional) [12]
• 200ml (half a tin) coconut milk, or light coconut milk [308 or 146]
• Juice of 1/2 lemon or a lime, or 1/2 tbsp cider vinegar [5 or 2]
• 200g chopped tomatoes (half  tin) [50]
• 1/2 tsp nigella (black onion) seeds (optional) [4]
• 50g frozen peas or petit pois (or your favourite veg - adjust cooking times accordingly) [33]
• 1 fresh vine tomato (85g) cut into sixths (optional, but adds a nice contrast) [17]
• Handful of fresh coriander, chopped (optional) [2]
• Salt, to taste

Method
See below for Thermomix method
Peel and slice the onion and garlic (and chilli if using - finely chop the ginger). Fry gently in the oil for 7 or 8 minutes until softened. Add the dry spices (curry powder, turmeric and ground coriander) and cook for a further minute. Now you need to blitz these ingredients with the coconut milk and lemon/lime/vinegar (either in a blender or mini-blender, or you could do it carefully with a hand-held blender - you don't need it to be perfectly smooth, it just gives you a thicker 'sauce').

Add the tinned tomatoes and a little salt (I use about 1/4 tsp, and black onion seeds if using) and simmer for 8 to ten minutes. Taste the sauce, and add extra salt or lemon juice if you think it needs it (or something sweet) to suit your taste until you're happy with it.

Add the prawns (if large and raw), peas and fresh tomato, gently stirring until the prawns have changed colour to pink and are cooked through (this should only take a couple of minutes - for pre-cooked prawns, they just need to heat through for a minute or so) and stir through the majority of the coriander. Serve garnished with a little more fresh coriander, with rice or cauliflower rice.

Thermomix method
Peel the onion and garlic and cut into chunks (and chilli if using - slice the ginger into coins). Drop the garlic, chilli and ginger onto running blades Speed 8, turn down to speed 6 and drop the onion chunks in too. Scrape down, add the oil and dry spices (curry powder, turmeric and ground coriander), and cook 3 minutes / Varoma / Speed 1 / MC off. Add the 200g coconut milk and lemon/lime/vinegar and blitz Speed 8 / 30 seconds.

Add the tinned tomatoes (200g) and a little salt (I use about 1/4 tsp, and black onion seeds if using) and cook for 10 minutes / 100C / Speed Spoon / Reverse / MC on at an angle. Taste the sauce, and add extra salt or lemon juice if you think it needs it (or something sweet) to suit your taste until you're happy with it.

Insert the butterfly whisk, and add the prawns (if large and raw - if they're small and cooked, add with the tomatoes and coriander) - half on each side of the whisk and gently push them under the sauce - and frozen peas and cook for 1 minute and 30 seconds / 100C / Speed Spoon / Reverse / MC . Finally, add the fresh tomato and the majority of the coriander and cook for 1 minute / 100C / Speed Spoon / Reverse / MC. Check the prawns are cooked/heated through, and serve garnished with a little more fresh coriander, with rice or cauliflower rice.