Doreen Burke
Staff Writer
I sometimes think it’s a great idea to buy such Lidl delicacies as frozen prawns with “Provencal” herb seasoning. My thinking/dreaming of the time is of French style chowder with homemade French bread – a cheesy fougasse or pain de campagne or a pasta marinara with porcini white wine sauce. I have never cooked either of the two. Or the posh bread. In reality, my pretty prawns spent a whole summer hibernating in the freezer. I thought the little shrimp would be in there for good, or at least until I got a degree. Desperate times call for desperate measures and being as broke as I was tired, this Saturday I foraged around in the back of the fridge freeze and fished out around in the icy depths until I caught the catch of the day. The result was a quick and easy version of Prawn Thai Green Curry- a Curry in a Hurry if you will.
Ingredients:
400g approx of frozen prawns * (deep frosted)
1 can coconut milk
4-5tbsp Thai green curry paste
2 tbsp soy sauce
Two handfuls of chopped mangetout/sugar snaps
Two handfuls of baby sweetcorn
Handful of spinach leaves
Boiled rice to serve
*Diced chicken pieces make a good alternative to the prawn, tofu is good for veggies but sometimes the best meatless option is to simply add more vegetables. Try cashew nuts for protein and crunch or water chestnuts if you want to go all out.
Method:
Make sure the prawns are fully deep frosted, whether kept in the fridge overnight or deep frosted in the microwave.
Heat oil in a plan, sesame oil is a good Asian alternative to olive or sunflower oil but anything kind of cooking oil will do.
Fry the prawns with the curry paste for 5 minutes on a medium/hot pan. Add coconut milk, soy sauce and vegetables. Bring to the boil and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the prawns are cooked thoroughly and vegetables are soft. Take off the heat and stir in the spinach leaves.
Serve with boiled rice. Toasted coconut as an accompaniment also adds a nice touch to this curry. To toast coconut all you need is dry toast desiccated coconut in a pan. Be careful though, coconut burns very easily.
