Recipe

Prawns in Coconut Milk

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Ingredients

  • 2 lbs BC Spot Prawn tails, peeled
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 4 tbsp clarified butter (ghee works perfectly)
  • 1½ onions, roughly chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, chopped
  • 2 tsp fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
  • ½ cup fresh coconut, grated (remove the brown rind)
  • 2 tbsp water (for blending)
  • 2 tsp tandoori pepper mix
  • 1½ cups boiling water
  • 1 tsp salt, or to taste
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Chopped cilantro for garnish

Let’s Cook

  1. Marinate the Prawns
    In a bowl or covered container, toss the peeled prawns with turmeric. Make sure they’re nicely coated. Set them aside while you prep everything else — this gives them a lovely color and a subtle earthiness.
  2. Make the Flavor Base
    In a blender or food processor, combine the chopped onion, garlic, ginger, coriander, and grated coconut. Add just enough water (about 2 tablespoons) to help it all blend into a smooth-ish paste. Don’t worry if it’s not perfectly creamy — a little texture is nice here.
  3. Sauté the Prawns
    In a large saucepan, heat the clarified butter over medium heat. Add the turmeric-coated prawns and cook for 2–3 minutes, just until they turn pink and start to curl. Don’t overcook them — they’ll finish in the sauce later. Remove the prawns from the pan and set aside.
  4. Build the Sauce
    In the same pan, pour in your coconut-onion paste. Stir it constantly over medium heat for about 5 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when the mixture thickens slightly, darkens a bit, and the butter starts to separate from the paste. If it starts sticking, add a tiny splash of water to keep it moving.
  5. Simmer
    Stir in the tandoori pepper mix. Then add the prawns back to the pan along with the boiling water and salt. Give everything a good stir, reduce the heat to low, and let it gently simmer for about 5–7 minutes so all the flavors come together.
  6. Finish with Brightness
    Just before serving, stir in the lemon juice for a hit of acidity to balance the richness.

To Serve

Ladle the prawns and sauce over a bed of hot rice. Sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro for color and freshness. A side of warm naan wouldn’t hurt either.