Spicy Prawn and Cucumber Curry
This curry is actually made with bottle gourd – a pale green vegetable, shaped like a bowling pin. You can easily use cucumber instead as its taste is similar when cooked. The origins of this Malay dish probably lie in India – the use of ground coriander and fennel seeds, as well as the final popping of seasonings in hot oil, all testify to that.
Ingredients
- 275 g cucumber
- 100 g shallots or onions
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons ground coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon ground fennel seeds
- ½ –1 teaspoon ground white pepper or to taste
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 3 –4 dried hot red chillies
- 350 graw headless prawns, peeled, de-veined and washed
- ¾ –1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 400 ml thick coconut milk
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
Instructions
- Peel the cucumber and cut crossways into 1cm (½in) thick rounds.
- Peel the shallots and finely chop three quarters of them; finely slice the rest.
- Peel the garlic cloves.
- Chop four of them very finely; cut the other two into fine slivers.
- Combine the sliced shallots and slivered garlic and set these aside.
- In a medium pan, combine the chopped shallots, chopped garlic, ground coriander seeds, ground fennel seeds, white pepper, cumin seeds, turmeric and 450ml (15fl oz) water.
- Crumble in the red chillies.
- Stir and bring to the boil.
- Boil, uncovered, on a fairly high heat for about 5 minutes.
- Add the cucumber rounds and bring to a simmer.
- Cover and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
- Add the prawns, salt and sugar.
- Bring to a simmer again and simmer gently for about 1 minute, stirring the prawns around in the sauce.
- Give the coconut milk a good stir and pour it in.
- Bring the mixture to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 1 minute, stirring now and then.
- Put the oil in a small frying pan and set over a medium–high heat.
- When hot, add the slivered shallots and garlic and stir-fry until they turn golden.
- Add the whole fennel seeds, stir once, then quickly pour the contents of the pan (oil and seasonings) into the pan containing the curry.
- Cover the curry pan immediately to trap all the aromas.
Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:
Serve with rice.
