Prawns need four minutes in a hot curry and not a second more. Everything else in this pan can be made ahead of them, which is why it works on a weeknight: build the gravy while the prawns thaw under cold water, then slide them in at the end.
Coconut milk powder earns its place here. You mix it to the thickness you want, so the gravy loosens for rice and tightens for bread, and an open tin never sits in the fridge going sour.
Ingredients
- 400g peeled raw prawns, thawed and patted dry (Diamond Foods Vannamei Prawns 31/40 P&D 280g)
- 6 tbsp Coco Fresh Coconut Milk Powder 1kg, whisked into 400ml warm water
- 3 tbsp KTC Pure Coconut Oil 500ml
- 1 tsp Fudco Rajapuri Haldi Powder 300g
- 2 tsp Everest Kashmirilal Brilliant Red Chilli Powder 100g
- 2 tsp 777 Tamarind Paste 300g, loosened in 3 tbsp hot water
- 2 onions, sliced thin
- 4 cloves garlic and a thumb of ginger, crushed to a paste
- 2 green chillies, slit lengthways
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- Salt
- A sprig of curry leaves if you have them
Method
- Toss the dry prawns with half the turmeric, half a teaspoon of salt and a pinch of the chilli powder. Leave them while you cook the base.
- Heat the coconut oil in a wide pan over a medium flame. Add the curry leaves, then the onion with a pinch of salt. Fry for 10 minutes until soft and pale gold. Rushing this is what leaves a curry tasting raw.
- Stir in the ginger garlic paste and the green chilli and cook for 2 minutes, until the smell of raw garlic has gone.
- Turn the heat low. Add the remaining turmeric and chilli powder, stir for 20 seconds, then add the tomato and 3 tablespoons of water. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, pressing the tomato down, until the oil separates and shows at the edges.
- Pour in the coconut milk and the strained tamarind water. Bring it to a bare simmer and hold it there for 5 minutes. Keep it under a boil or the coconut will split and go grainy.
- Slide in the prawns in one layer. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, turning them once, until they curl and turn opaque right through. Take the pan off the heat straight away.
- Taste for salt and sourness, and add another splash of tamarind water if it needs a lift. Rest it for 10 minutes before serving with rice.
Cook's notes
Thaw frozen prawns in a colander under cold running water for 5 minutes, then dry them well. Wet prawns steam instead of searing and water down the gravy. For a thicker curry to eat with porotta, use 7 tablespoons of coconut milk powder to the same 400ml of water. It reheats once, gently, and never in a rolling boil.
Questions
How long do prawns take to cook in curry?
Three to four minutes, turning once, until they curl and turn opaque right through. Take the pan off the heat straight away. Prawns left simmering go tough and rubbery, so build the whole gravy first and add them only at the very end.
Why did my coconut milk curry split?
It boiled. Coconut milk turns grainy and separates once it bubbles hard, so bring it only to a bare simmer and hold it there for 5 minutes before the prawns go in. When you reheat leftovers, warm them gently and keep them well under a boil.
Can I use coconut milk powder in place of tinned coconut milk?
Yes, and it lets you set the thickness. Whisk 6 tablespoons into 400ml of warm water for a gravy to eat with rice, or 7 tablespoons to the same water for a thicker curry to scoop up with porotta. Nothing is left over to spoil in the fridge.
Can I make prawn curry ahead?
Yes, make the gravy ahead and add the prawns when you reheat it. A finished curry reheats once, gently, and never at a rolling boil. Thaw frozen prawns in a colander under cold running water for 5 minutes and pat them dry before they go in.
