thai red curry of prawns

Leaving the shells on prawns, as cooks commonly do in Thailand give an undeniably more intense flavour. If you are worried that things could get messy at the table, split the shells down the back and remove the intestinal tract before cooking. Then it is a simple matter for diners to extract the meat from the shell with spoon and fork.

Serves 6

24 large raw prawns or medium-sized raw prawns

1 x 400ml can coconut milk

3 tablespoons Charmaine Solomon’s Thai Red Curry Paste

4 fresh Thai lime leaves

finely grated zest of 1 Thai lime

1-2 tablespoons fish Sauce

1 teaspoon palm sugar (optional)

Use kitchen scissors to cut open the prawn shell down the curve of the back. With a sharp knife slit the prawn just enough to expose the sandy intestinal tract and lift it out.

In a wok or heavy pan heat half the coconut milk until bubbling. Stir in the curry paste and cook, stirring, until it is thick and fragrant. Stir in the rest of the coconut milk, lime leaves and zest, fish sauce and palm sugar. Bring to a simmer. Add the prawns and if they are not submerged, top up the sauce by adding a little water. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally until the prawns are cooked and the sauce slightly reduced and thick, about 10 minutes depending on the size of the prawns. Serve with steamed rice.