Prawn Moilee

This recipe from southern India is easy to make and tastes amazing. The flavours are fresh, simple and highly characteristic of the cuisine of the region.

Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups (400g) white long-grain rice (preferably basmati)
16 medium (720g) green prawns, peeled and deveined, tails intact
1 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons ground turmeric
2 tablespoons (40ml) coconut oil
20–30 fresh curry leaves
1 small brown onion, sliced
3 small green chillies, seeded and sliced
3 cm piece ginger, peeled and finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
2 tomatoes, peeled, cored and diced
200ml coconut cream

1. Soak the rice in two cups (500ml) cold water in a lidded saucepan for about 10 minutes. Place over high heat and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cook, covered, until the rice is tender and all the water has been absorbed. Fluff through with a fork before serving.
2. Meanwhile, place the prawns in a bowl, sprinkle with the salt and one teaspoon turmeric and toss to coat. Set aside.
3. Heat the coconut oil in a frying pan or wok over medium heat, add half the curry leaves and cook until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the onion, chilli, ginger and garlic and cook until the onion is transparent.
   Stir in the tomato and remaining fresh curry leaves and simmer for two minutes. Add the remaining turmeric and cook for one minute, then stir in the coconut cream. Add the prawns and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the prawns are cooked. Garnish with fried curry leaves and serve with steamed rice.

Cook’s note: Fresh curry leaves have a tendency to spit when fried in hot oil, so it’s a good idea to have a lid handy. Pop the leaves into the hot oil and immediately place the lid over the pan. You can hear when the fresh leaves stop sizzling and spitting. Take a look?–?they should be fried to a crisp and removed immediately to prevent burning. Curry leaves prepared like this are a wonderful garnish to many southern Indian meals.
Herbie’s Tip: A combination of green and red chillies can be used to make the dish colourful.

*Note: Australian measurements 1 tablespoon = 20ml are used throughout.