Fresh turmeric and peppercorn curry with prawns
This fresh and zingy curry uses the Thai method of ‘cracking', where spice paste is simmered in coconut cream until the oil separates.
Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh have used this technique to create a rich base for their deeply aromatic prawn dish.
Ingredients
For the cucumber and ginger relish
- 125ml/4fl oz rice vinegar, or other white vinegar
- 80²µ/2¾´Ç³ú caster sugar
- ½ cucumber, quartered lengthways, deseeded and thinly sliced (200g/7oz)
- 20²µ/¾´Ç³ú fresh root ginger, peeled and julienned
- 1 red chilli (or 2 bird's-eye chillies, if you like the heat), halved, deseeded and thinly sliced lengthways
- 10²µ/â…“o³ú fresh coriander, stems finely chopped, leaves roughly torn
- 1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve
- pinch salt
For the spice paste
- 5g/â…›oz dried red chillies (or more, if you like)
- ½ tsp whole white peppercorns, toasted and coarsely ground
- 2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and coarsely ground
- 1–2 shallots, roughly chopped (60g/2¼oz)
- 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 20²µ/¾´Ç³ú coriander stems, roughly chopped
- 10²µ/â…“o³ú fresh turmeric, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp coconut cream
For the curry
- 145ml/5fl oz coconut cream
- 400ml tin coconut milk
- 25g/1oz palm sugar, roughly chopped (or light soft brown sugar)
- 20ml/1¼ tbsp fish sauce
- 500g/1lb 2oz green beans, cut into 3cm/1¼in lengths
- 500g/1lb 2oz peeled raw king prawns
To serve
- steamed jasmine rice
Method
To make the relish, put the vinegar and sugar into a small saucepan, along with 60ml/4 tbsp of water and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil, then simmer for a minute, stirring once or twice, until the sugar has dissolved.
Remove from the heat and, once cool, add the cucumber, ginger, chilli and coriander stems. Transfer to a sealed container and keep in the fridge.
To make the spice paste, place the dried chillies in a small bowl, cover with boiling water and set aside for a few minutes.
Put the ground white peppercorns and coriander seeds into the small bowl of a food processor, along with the shallots, garlic, coriander stems, turmeric, coconut cream, soaked chillies and 1 tablespoon of the chilli-soaking liquid. Blend to form a smooth purée, scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times.
To make the curry, put the coconut cream into a medium saucepan and place on a medium-high heat. When it begins to simmer, add the spice paste and cook for 15–20 minutes, stirring frequently until thick, clotted and oily. Add the coconut milk, sugar, fish sauce and ¼ teaspoon of salt.
Stir gently, then bring to a simmer. Add the green beans, cook for 4 minutes, then add the prawns. Cook for another 3–5 minutes, until the prawns are just cooked through. Serve with jasmine rice.
Recipe Tips
Swap the prawns for chicken or tofu, or make a vegetarian version with your favourite vegetables, omitting the fish sauce.
The relish is best made a day ahead of serving and kept refrigerated. Hold back on the coriander leaves, though, stirring these through just before serving.