Prawn Curry...

Needless to say, this recipe is pretty much a collection of several recipes from cooking shows or something I read - I used to think that all you needed to cook a good curry was store-bought curry powder and some coconut milk. It took me some time to understand all the flavours involved in a curry and what their role is - that's what I love about cooking, I have no intention to follow recipes as a robot, I want to understand the combination of flavours, the role each ingredient plays in a dish. 

Blessed be the day when I will be able to make my own curry mixture, by smashing spices carefully chosen by me - but, baby steps, still have a long way ahead of me :)

Again this recipe is a little bit of this and a little bit of that, it was pretty much an experiment which resulted in something delicious :) And, big plus, it takes close to no time at all to cook ;)

(1) Heat some olive oil in a skillet over medium heat;

(2) Stir in a tablespoon of ground coriander, a tablespoon of ground cumin, a tablespoon of turmeric and 1 1/2 tablespoon of curry powder - Stir for 2 minutes to allow the spices to blend;

If you want, you can also add some cinnamon and/or ginger.

Also, you can always buy fresh coriander and cumin seeds, toast them in a dry frying pan for no more than 2 minutes and smash them in a pestle and mortar.

(3) Add an onion finely chopped - stir occasionally for 8 minutes;

(4) Add the prawns, and allow them to blend completely with the spices and onion;

(5) Add some coconut milk, some tomato paste (I actually used two fresh tomatoes, but you can use paste instead), some garlic finely minced, lemongrass (just cut it in half, not in small pieces because you don't want to serve them in the plates), and salt and pepper to taste;

(6) Bring to a boil and allow it to simmer until the prawns are cooked;

(7) Serve with rice :)

*ENJOY*