Remember the sixties and seventies when our sci-fi shows morphed into colour and the new exotic takeaway was Indian? Well “Danger Will Robinson! Danger!” because we’ve now effectively coloured up a plate of Vindaloo by using it as the basis for a fabulous coconut and seafood curried soup; but the heat is still mind-numbing if you are not careful. For those of you who don’t fancy becoming Dr Zachary Smith you can use our recommended quantity of spice but even so you will note that we have encorporated the atypical methods by which you can mitigate the heat in our recipe; starch, citrus, vinegar, dairy/milk, and a nut butter. This recipe that combines elements from Bangaladesh and S.E India, is quite time consuming, but ultimately a culinary reward when your guests say they would absolutely love to have more, but they simply and sadly are now outer space!

 

Ingredients; 

800 – 1000g Green Prawns

1 medium roasting Potato

1/4 medium red Onion

2 cloves garlic (crushed)

15 grams (approx. 1 soup spoon) My Souk Drawer Vindaloo Spice Mix (serving 4 people)

2 cm fresh Ginger (grated)

2 tsp fish sauce

2 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp lime juice

1/2 tbsp Honey

3 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar (ours was infused with honey and ginger but not essential)

1 tbsp Peanut Butter

3 tbsp plain Flour

Handful of Coriander leaves

200 grams white Sesame Seeds

 

Method; 

Shell and de-vein the prawns putting the meat into the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Grate the ginger and reserve. Peel, quarter and microwave cook the potato before allowing to cool. When cool place into a food processor or similar and blend with the garlic cloves and chopped red onion until almost smooth. Add the Vindaloo spice powder, ginger, lemon & lime juices, fish sauce, Coriander leaves, peanut butter, honey and vinegar, and pulse until combined. Transfer this to a mixing bowl and work in the flour. This is a wet mixture but ensure it holds briefly to a spoon without flowing and this will prove sufficiently dry to make the prawn balls.

When the prawns are almost staring to freeze, transfer a few at a time to the food processor and briefly pulse to roughly chop but not too much which will turn into a paste. Transfer each batch to the curry mixture and fold the prawns evenly into the blend.

Taking a large piece of cling wrap fold it onto itself to form roughly a square. Taking about a tablespoon of prawn ball mixture, place this into the centre of the cling wrap and, using your hand from the exterior roughly fashion a ball. By holding each corner and raising and lowering to move the ball around it will become more uniform in shape, then empty the cling wrap ball into a bed of Sesame Seeds in a bowl. Using a teaspoon, cover the whole surface with Seeds before transferring on a spoon to a frying pan containing melted butter. On a low heat turn the prawn balls until some colour is achieved (do not burn the Sesame Seeds), about 20 minutes, and then once the bowl of coconut soup is ready, put about three prawn balls in each bowl and garnish with Coriander.

 

Soup Ingredients;  

2 tbsp. butter

1 cup shredded coconut

1⁄4 cup chopped pistachios (plus a little extra)

3 tbsp. honey

1⁄2 tsp. cardamom

1⁄2 tsp. cinnamon

1⁄2 tsp. nutmeg

1⁄4 tsp. fennel

2 cm ginger – grated

2 cups milk

2 cans 400ml coconut milk, well shaken

 

Method;  

Sautee coconut in butter until toasted, stirring well. Add 1/4 cup chopped pistachios and ginger, sautéing a little longer. Add honey and spices and stir.
Add 1 cup of milk and coconut milk, stirring slowly. Heat but don’t boil. Froth 1 cup of milk using an espresso machine or similar just before serving, lightly folding foam into the bowls of hot soup. Add the prawn balls as above.
Serve garnished with the remaining pistachios and accompanied by toasted Naan bread and spiced cucumber Raita.

 

Raita Ingredients; 

 

4 baby Lebanese cucumbers

1/2 English Cucumber

1 cup of finely chopped mint & coriander leaves

2 spring onions

1/2 tsp. Coriander- ground

1/2 tsp. Cumin – ground

500 g Plain Yoghurt (Greek is OK)

1 tsp. Caster sugar

Lemon &/or Lime juice

Murray River Salt

 

Method; 

In a food processor chop the peeled cucumbers and spring onions  finely before transferring to a sieve and left to drain for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Shred the mint and Coriander leaves finely and add to a bowl of yoghurt. Stir in the spices, sugar and a good pinch of salt. Mix in the drained Cucumber with a generous squeeze of citrus juice making sure the Raita is uniformly blended. Serve with toasted Naan bread.

 

 

Ingredients: