Rose and prawn coconut curry
A spicy, richly-flavoured curry with the perfumed notes of rose and a creamy coconut finish. Rosewater is an ancient flavouring ingredient found in both savoury and sweet Indian cuisine. It is probably most recognised in desserts and drinks but is also a very important addition to classic curries such as Biryani.
How long will it take?
35 minutes
What’s the serving size?
Serves 4
What do I need?
- 750g large green king prawns, shelled and deveined with the tails remaining
- 1½ teaspoons turmeric
- Juice of one large lime
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1½ teaspoons cumin seeded
- 1½ teaspoons mustard seeds
- 8 curry leaves
- 2 to 3 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 25g piece fresh ginger, chopped or grated
- 1 long green chilli, finely chopped
- 300ml fish stock
- 1 x 400ml tin full-cream coconut milk
- 140g tomato purée
- 1½ to 2 teaspoons natural rosewater essence
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves plus extra to garnish
- Salt to taste
How do I make it?
- Place the prawns into a bowl, toss with the turmeric, lime juice and salt. Leave to marinate for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Heat half the oil in a casserole dish over a medium heat until hot, fry the prawns in two batches removing once they have a light golden crust and set to one side for later.
- Add the remainder of the oil to the dish and gently fry the cumin and mustards seeds with the curry leaves for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the shallot, garlic, ginger and green chilli and sauté.
- Add the fish stock and bring to the boil, simmer without the lid for 5 to 6 minutes until the stock has reduced down a little.
- Add the coconut milk, tomato purée, rosewater, cayenne pepper and chopped coriander. Simmer on a gentle heat for a further 5 minutes and season to taste.
- Stir in the fried prawns, put on the lid and cook for a few minutes more until piping hot. Serve garnished with fresh coriander leaves and accompany with basmati rice.
- For a milder curry, remove and discard the seeds from the fresh chilli and omit the ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
