Prawn Green Curry

This isn't authentically Thai so I've done away with the word from the name of the recipe ~ Thai Green Curry.

Prawn Green Curry

I am hooked on red chilies. The non-spicy kind, that is! It's in my shopping cart every marketing week.  Fresh red ingredients liven up any dish, don't you think - gravy in vibrant colour, that touch of liveliness in garnishing. I liken it to adding a ribbon onto my plate of yum.

Green chili is an undeniably underrated ingredient in my wok-king activities. I plonked a packet of fresh ones onto the supermarket pay counter the other day before I could wonder whether I really needed it.

I figured doing this often could cajole my mind into accepting that, "Hey, green chili isn't so meh after all".  

Oh, what can I say. It turned out to be a very exciting ingredient to have around and I am psyched to explore further.

This is my recipe for delightful, sweet-savoury curry.  It's lovely with rice and bread.   

Ingredients:
- 16 medium prawns (cleaned, leave tail intact if you wish)
- 4 kaffir lime leaves
- 1½ tsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- Pinch of white pepper
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp shrimp paste (lightly toasted - in the oven or dry fried on pan)
- 1 cup coconut milk
- ½ cup water
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
- ½ red chili (sliced) and some fresh coriander for garnishing

Green Curry Paste ~ To blend:
- ¼ cup fresh coriander (roughly chopped)
- 5 green chilis (roughly chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (roughly chopped)
- 1 large onion (roughly chopped)
- 1 stalk lemon grass (sliced thinly)
Blend all these ingredients together into a paste.
Use a bit of coconut milk to get things going if needed.

1) Ingredients to be blended into green curry paste (excluding lime leaf)
2) Roughly chopped and ready to be blended
3) Coconut milk
4) Green curry paste
5) Green curry paste, fish sauce, ground coriander, brown sugar, prawns, kaffir lime leaf

How-to:
1) Heat oil in large pan. Add green curry paste, shrimp paste and ground coriander. Stir-fry to combine well, preferably until the liquid has reduced into a thick paste.

2) Add coconut milk, half the water, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, pepper and sugar. Mix well and simmer covered for five minutes or so  (at least until the gravy loses it's vibrant green and enough for all the flavours to come together).

3) Add prawns and remaining water. Stir lightly until it is cooked. (Add more water if you find the gravy a little too thick for your liking)

4) Serve garnished with fresh red chili and coriander.

1) Fry green curry paste, ground coriander and shrimp paste with oil
2) Add the coconut milk and kaffir lime leaf
3) Lastly, add the prawns
4) Stir lightly until prawns are cooked

Prawn Green Curry ~ Garnished with Red Chili and Coriander